The Wraith Tome
by inksilver
Summary: In a world where everything remains forever changing, the daughter of a minor goddess becomes entwined in a prophesized journey that may very well end her life. HIATUS
1. The Beginning of a Heroic Tale

Chapter One: The Beginning of a Heroic Tale

A/N: The character's name and her mother have been changed.

* * *

For centuries the goddess of the soul, Psyche, had been alone. Left to an eternal life of solitude while her husband tended to his mother and the mortal romantics on Earth that were, by far, his favorite. This was a cruel fate, especially for an immortal that needed to love and be loved. Such was the nature of her very essence. Her purpose for being.

Psyche had, unlike most of the gods, decided never to mate with a mortal. To do so would be risky. She could become pregnant with, for lack of a better term, a monster. The soul was a gentle, fragile thing. One ill thought, one bad intention and the goddess could very well bring a damnable creature into the world.

But now, while she sat in her precious garden and stared into her mystical pool, her hardened resolve softened. There, playing a musical instrument with such talent Apollo would have surely graced him with immortality to offer company to the Muses, was a human man.

His hair was a light brown color and, as he looked up from his instrument, Psyche saw that his eyes were pale blue. He was a creature of beauty. His features weren't overbearingly harsh, but still masculine and sharp. He reminded Psyche of Adonis, although she was almost certain that Adonis had hair of gold.

Staring at the man, the goddess felt a strange feeling envelope her. Curiosity, no doubt. Curiosity for this mortal and longing. A longing to be with someone.

Psyche stood from her pool and vanished.

* * *

The door to the music store opened before her and a chiming signaled her entrance. Although all of this was new to her, Psyche was enthralled by the advancement of humans through the ages.

Looking around, she observed that the store was mostly empty. There was a man behind the counter, flipping through what Psyche believed to be a magazine. Another man was flipping through records on the far left side of the store. Neither of them paid her any mind.

Psyche's eyes, a different color depending upon the subconscious feelings her soul felt, swept over the store and, when they found the mysterious man, widened. He was far lovelier in person, she was sure of this.

Without much thought of what her husband would think, Psyche approached him.

"Hello," she said. The man didn't look up and continued playing, but did acknowledge her.

"What a beautiful voice you have. Are you a singer?" he questioned. Psyche smiled.

"On occasion."

The man laughed and stopped playing. When he looked up at her, she frowned. His eyes were a paler blue than she had thought they were and the pupil, which was normally black, was gray instead. As he looked at her, she noticed that he wasn't looking at her, but actually just off to the left of her. She swallowed a gasp.

"A singer isn't a singer on occasion. A singer is a singer for life," he added before returning to his instrument, the guitar. Psyche remained silent for a moment, listening to the sweet notes that came from his guitar.

"You still there?" he questioned. Psyche nodded, but quickly stopped.

"Yes, I am."

"Why?"

Psyche frowned.

"Because I want to be, sir. Should there be another reason?" she asked. The man looked up briefly and smiled.

"Nope. Just wondering, darlin'," he said. Psyche stared at the man in wonder. He was unlike any other man.

No, this couldn't be true. Perhaps it was just that he was the first of his kind she had encountered.

"My name's Paul, by the way," he told her, strumming a few soft notes as he did so.

"I am Psyche," she replied. The man stopped playing.

"Like the goddess?"

"Yes, like the goddess," Psyche answered, smiling for a reason only she could know.

"Well then, my goddess, perhaps you would like to accompany me for lunch?" he asked, putting his guitar down beside him and standing up. He reached out for something and, following his hand, Psyche saw a walking cane leaning against the counter. She quickly grabbed it and, taking hold of his hand, wrapped his fingers around it.

"I would love to, Paul."

* * *

Psyche stared down into the face of her newborn child. A girl, Hera had told her. And, although she believed her daughter to be lovely amongst all others, the time to finalize her beliefs was soon nearing. The moment her daughter opened her eyes, Psyche would know what kind of woman she would become. Psyche would know which of the prevalent, subconscious emotions her daughter had gotten. Would it be her own feeling of kindness? Paul's feeling of necessary justice?

And then, the baby's eyes opened.

Psyche stared down at her daughter, then to Hera.

"Gold! She is golden! Oh, Lady Hera, can you believe it?" the young goddess cried, cradling her daughter in her arms and laughing. Hera nodded and reached out, placing a hand on the baby and whispering a blessing for safe journey to Earth.

"Congratulations, Psyche. I am happy for you, but you must name her now. Her father is waiting," Hera replied. Psyche nodded and, for a moment, believed that no name could ever suit her daughter.

"I will name her Chryseis. I will name her for gold, because that is what she will be."

* * *

**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!**

**A/N:** So, I figured I would elaborate on the whole deal with the importance of eye color so none of you will write me off as a complete nutter. Remember the saying "the eyes are the windows to the soul?" Well, I'm incorporating that into my story. Psyche's eyes change color depending on the state in which her soul is at that moment. If her deeper most feeling is anger, her eyes would become black. If she was truly happy, her eyes would be yellow. However, only Psyche can have different states of soul. Every other being can only have one. Why can Psyche have more? Because she is the goddess of the soul. Get it? If not, message me.

Now, the reason Psyche did not wish to have a child and the importance of Chryseis's eye color. Psyche, being the goddess of the soul, would be able to see what kind of soul her child possesses. The child would take on a prevalent emotion from one of its two parents. If, perhaps, Psyche had a partner who's prevalent emotion was anger, then it would be possible that the child would have an angry soul and become a terrible person. Get it? Well, that's the best I can explain. Chryseis's eye color was so important because of that same reason. Obviously, gold is a good eye color to have. You'll have to wait to find out why, though. Now, I bet you're wondering why everyone else has normal eye colors, right? Simple answer. They aren't the children of the soul goddess. Chryseis is.

If you are still confused about anything, please message me.

Chryseis= kree-SEY-is/KRISS-ee-iss/**kri-SEY-iss (this is the one I will be using, but you can pick whichever you feel more comfortable with. Her nickname will still be pronounced the same no matter which you choose)**


	2. In Which I Meet My Mom

Chapter Two: In Which I Meet My Mom

A/N: This one's pretty short. I really just wanted to get this part over with and get her to the camp as quickly as possible.

* * *

Life for me had always been pretty easy.

I had a good one, more privileged than some. Sure, my father and I weren't incredibly rich, but since both of us worked, him full-time and me part-time, we made out okay. Dad owned a music store called The Blank Note. We worked together as often as we could. I usually stopped by after school to help and we would walk home together. I knew that here, in this store, was where Dad had met my mom.

Whenever I would ask about my mother, Dad would always say that I wasn't ready. That, of course, started a few arguments. And, now that I was seventeen, I was planning on asking him again.

We were at the music store on a Sunday. It wasn't closed, but all the same, it was empty. I was alphabetizing the Alternative CDs and Dad… well, he was doing what he always did. He was playing his guitar.

"Hey, Dad?" I called out, moving down the row and flipping through the plastic cases. I heard him mutter an 'mm-hmm,' so I stopped. I could only assume that he stopped playing because I had stopped working.

"Tell me about Mom," I said. The reaction wasn't immediate, but when he began strumming on his guitar again, I knew it was a no. I sighed and walked over to the door. Flipping the sign over to CLOSED, I twisted the lock and pulled the blinds down.

"Chryseis Alana Brennan, you unlock that door this instant," Dad commanded. Though I doubted he knew he did this, he would always switch to minor chords when he was angry. It was kind of comical, really.

"Not until you spill about Mom," I demanded. I reached up and tugged on one of my low pigtails. My hair, much like Dad's, was a golden brown color.

"Why do you care so much, sweetheart?" he asked. I shook my head and made a disbelieving sound in the back of my throat.

"Oh, gee, I don't know. Maybe because she's my mother?" I answered, crossing the store and pulling a stool over beside him. I dropped down onto it and crossed my arms over my chest. I knew Dad could sense my frustration.

And then, thankfully, it happened.

Dad placed his guitar on the stand next to him and ran his hand through his short, dark hair.

"Your mother…she had the loveliest voice I had ever heard."

* * *

Dad and I were eating our dinner, pepperoni pizza with black olives and extra cheese, in The Blank Note. The blinds were opened and the inside lights were off so that I could stare out and people watch.

"Are you happy here?" Dad asked. I blinked slowly and turned to look at him.

"Of course, Dad. Why wouldn't I be?"

He didn't respond immediately, but I could sense something was off. Something was wrong.

"What I meant is would you be happier at Halfblood?"

"Halfblood?"

"The camp I mentioned earlier. The one for children of gods. For people like you," he clarified. I shrugged my shoulders and reached over to shut the empty pizza box lid.

"I dunno. Nothing's really happened to make me feel unsafe. Besides, I don't have any special powers like you said some of the kids there have. I can't shoot an arrow through the center of a blueberry a hundred yards away or score an A++ on a pop quiz or lure teenage boys to the dark side with a wink or…or… anything," I stuttered. Dad smiled and picked up his guitar, strumming a few chords lightly.

"I think you would be. Happier, that is. They would be your friends. Your family. You've never had those before," he said.

"Maybe not, but I have you. That's enough for me."

"But not for me," a voice said. A very female voice.

"Dad, did you just suddenly sound very feminine?"

"Chris, honestly. Don't be silly," he replied. He continued to play the guitar, almost as if he hadn't heard the voice. Almost as if he had…expected it.

I stood up from my chair and spun around. There, in the corner of our shop and far away from any doors or windows with which to get in, was a woman.

A very beautiful woman.

"Hello, darlin'."

"Hello, Paul."

"Hello, stranger. Who are you and how the hell did you get in here?" I asked. Despite the fact that she looked about the same size as me and far more delicate and pretty, I got the feeling she could knock me flat on my back with her pinky. She didn't say anything, but she did flash me a dazzling smile.

"Chris, don't be rude to your mother. Psyche, love, come sit down."

Everything got very dizzy very fast. It was almost as if the room decided to lose its solidity. Kind of like the floor was trying to start the Wave at a basketball game. The walls seemed like they were melting.

And everything was getting darker.

_Hello, floor. My name is Chris. I think I've just fainted._


	3. In Which I Ride A HorseManManHorse

Chapter Three: In Which I Ride a Horse-Man/Man-Horse

A/N: Sorry, guys. I've been distracted with other things. I'll try to start updating more regularly. A thousand billion times sorry! You can actually thank **musikfun356** on Youtube for this chapter. Watch their video, Percy Jackson- Take me away (FULL SONG)

* * *

I could hear a sound.

It was fuzzy and warped, kind of like I was underwater.

What was it?

I opened my eyes and was shocked to find that, in place of the black and red walls of The Blank Note, I was surrounded by a vast amount of blue instead. It was odd. Below me the blue darkened, above me it lightened. I couldn't feel gravity's constant reassurance around me.

Where was I?

The sound persisted. I strained to hear it better, but I couldn't. All I heard was a deep, buzzing sound pounding in on my eardrums.

And then I saw him.

From the light blue, a shadowed figure emerged and came toward me. I knew it was a he, but I didn't know how I knew. Whoever it was, he was important to me and I the same to him.

I reached out a hand to him. He mirrored my actions and the sound I had heard earlier returned. Now that he was closer, I could tell that he was talking to me. I could hear what he was saying, though it was muffled.

"CHRYSEIS!"

Suddenly, I was being pulled down. I was being yanked away from my savior and down into the dark blue. Down to the black.

The last thing I saw before I closed my eyes was a face. A face with dark hair and beautiful, crystalline eyes.

* * *

"NO!"

My eyes flew open and I struggled to sit up, but I couldn't. Something kept pulling me back. I thrashed and flailed against it, letting out a terrible, shrieking wail of desperation and fear.

"Let go of me! Please, let go!" I clawed at my throat and chest, kicking out with my legs. I couldn't breathe! I was going to die!

"Chris! CHRIS! CHRYSEIS, STOP THAT! CALM DOWN!" a voice bellowed from somewhere in front of me. The voice jerked me back into reality. I looked around and frowned. My arms fell down to my sides as I collapsed back against the car seat and reached up, timidly straightening the seatbelt. My throat was burning from the wounds my nails had inflicted.

"Chryseis, what the hell was that?" my dad asked from the passenger side seat in the car. I took a deep breath and choked on saliva. I could taste the foreboding sour in my mouth and began swallowing again and again.

"Paul, leave her alone for a moment. She just had a prophetic dream. She'll need time for her body to get over the shock," my newfound mother, Psyche, scolded.

"What do you mean her body needs to get over the shock? I'm the one that needs to get over the shock! She was physically assaulting the back of my seat! I thought I was experiencing turbulence for a second there!"

"Paul, you must realize that to her the dream was real. It felt real to her as it does to every demigod."

"And this is why I don't particularly care for Greek Mythology. Chris, you okay? Breathe, sweetheart. We'll be at the camp in a few hours. Go back to sleep and try not to have a prophetic dream while you're at it."

"Honestly, Paul. She can't control whether or not she has these dreams. It simply happens."

I knew Dad had already begun to answer Psyche, but my eyes closed and I was off to Dreamland once again.

* * *

"Chris! Wake up! We've got to go!" My dad's voice cried out. I opened my eyes and blinked several times. It was nighttime. I couldn't see.

Foreign hands reached out toward me and fumbled with my seatbelt. As they tugged it away from my waist, the buckle smacked me in the mouth. I hissed in pain and covered the injury.

"Sorry. Let's go," the person, a guy, said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the car. I stumbled awkwardly behind him and grabbed his arm with my other hand as well to catch my balance.

"Where are we going? Where's Dad?" I asked, raising my voice so that he could hear me over the snapping twigs and rustling branches. We were in a forest. I took my eyes off the back of the guy for a moment to look around. Several shadows ran next to and in front of us. More people.

"We have to get you to the camp. You'll be safe there," he answered.

"But what about my dad? I'm not leaving him!" I shouted, digging my heels into the dirt beneath my feet. My guide let out an irritated groan and turned back to me slightly. I thought that he was turning around to reassure me. To comfort me and let me know that Dad was waiting for me at Culver's with a Butterburger and French fries.

The guy pried the fingers of my hand that he wasn't holding off of his arm and grabbed its wrist. He gave a sudden, forceful pull and I was uprooted from the ground. He immediately began running again, dragging me behind him like a stuffed teddy bear.

"Your dad is fine. We can't slow down."

I bit my lip and followed obediently. For a minute, everything was fine. A large group of us was running through the forest, unhindered. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

That is, until something ripped through my shoulder and sent me to the ground.

I screamed.

My guide dropped down next to me and grabbed my shoulder, examining the wound.

"Chiron, she's hurt!" the guy shouted. I heard the sound of a horse running and closed my eyes, letting a low whine pass from my lips. Gods, it burned!

"It's Lamia. Percy, gather the others. Don't let her get her tail around any of you. Aim for her neck and cut off her head," the voice that belonged to an older man commanded. At first the guy, Percy, began to leave, but he stopped moving and fell quite.

"Chiron, look."

I felt him tug the sleeve of my shirt down and cried out.

"Poisoned. Quick. Get her on my back. I'll take her to the camp. Get the other campers and defeat Lamia."

The ground beneath me vanished as I was lifted into the air by Percy. He propped me up onto the back of Chiron's horse and disappeared. The shadows went with him.

The horse began to run and I fell forward. Expecting to fall into Chiron, I frowned when I hit nothing but more of the horse. I looked up and gasped.

Where the horse ended, a man began.

Whether it was the shock of it all or the poison Chiron had mentioned, I don't know, but for what seemed like the tenth time that day I fell into the state of Unconsciousness in the country of You Have Got To Be Kidding Me.

***Lamia is a mythical monster that was once the queen of Libya. She was transformed into a child-eating demon with a serpent's tail from the waist down.**


	4. In Which I Surprisingly Don't Have

Chapter Four: In Which I (Surprisingly) Don't Have a Mental Breakdown

A/N: So…yeah. This chapter is waaaaaaaaaaay overdue and it isn't even really all the good. So sorry, guys. I've been lacking inspiration…and time. Please don't burn me at the stake!

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I immediately felt them slip back closed against the harsh rays of sunlight that melted through the cloth hanging in front of the windows of the cabin I was in. I attempted to move, but took in a sharp breath against the ache that rocked its way through my entire body.

Did I drink last night?

I slowly opened one eye, then the other. I most definitely was not in my bedroom. But where was I?

I tried to sit up again and succeeded, gritting my teeth against the pain that gathered and intensified in my left shoulder. I reached up with my right hand and began to massage the tender flesh there.

I dropped my legs over the side of the cot I had been sleeping in and stood up. For a moment, the world warped and spun. I held my arms out and staggered a tiny bit before the bout of vertigo passed, allowing me to balance once more and begin walking.

I wasn't alone in the cabin. There were several other cots like mine, nearly all of them occupied.

What was I doing here? How did I even get here? The last thing I remembered was…

"Holy shit!" I shouted. A few cot occupants lifted their heads and gave me looks of varying emotions. A few surprised, a couple confused, and one angry. I suppose it was because my outburst had managed to rouse her from her sleep.

I ignored all of them and sat back down on my cot, dropping my head in my hands and replaying every moment I could remember from yesterday.

1. I learned that I was, in fact, a demigod. A daughter of Psyche, to be specific.

2. I found out that I had a bunch of nightmares that apparently were prophetic. Great.

3. In a crappy rescue attempt, I had been injured. Twice.

4. I rode a horse-man/man-horse.

5. I was in a medical cabin without anyone I knew.

6. I learned that I faint. A lot.

This sucks.

I looked around. Everyone had gone back to their healing and sleeping. I suppose I wasn't that interesting. But, in this case, that was a good thing. I already had a brilliant plan forming.

I waited a few minutes during which I tapped my feet and observed the cabin a little more. Finally, I stood up and dusted off my jeans.

'Operation: This Will Most Likely End Badly' is a go.

I casually strolled over to the door. I spun around once, just to make sure I was still uninteresting. Yep. Still uninteresting.

I pulled back the curtains to the door and turned around, but…

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

I stepped back and held a hand to my chest, breathing deep and trying to calm myself down.

There, standing in the doorway, was a guy about my age. He was a little taller than me, with dark hair and very very VERY blue eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed and his hand was halfway raised, extended toward me.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said. I tilted my head just slightly to the side. I recognized that voice.

"You're the guy from last night. The one who smacked my mouth with the seatbelt. Percy," I said, jabbing an accusatory finger in his chest. He batted my hand away and rubbed the spot I had poked.

"Yeah, and I'm also the guy who saved you. You're welcome."

'Operation: This Will Most Likely End Badly' had changed.

I tightened my fist, drew it back, and let it fly. I felt my knuckles come in contact with his cheek and flinched at the slight sting. He staggered back a few steps and I shoved my way past him, breaking out into an all out sprint.

"Exit. Exit. Where's the exit?" I gasped, pushing myself to run faster and faster. It was actually pretty exhilarating. I could run pretty damn fast.

As I passed several other kids, I noticed that they were all dressed to match the general atmosphere of their little camp. Leather armor, swords, bows? Cabins and dirt paths? Where was I? Ancient Greece?

I pushed several people down as I sprinted, causing angry shouts and outburst to rise up. Hell, I didn't care. These people had kidnapped me! Where was Dad?

"Yes!" I panted. There, just a few more seconds away, was a huge arch. That had to be the exit!

I got closer and closer to the arch, so close that I could almost taste the freedom.

And then someone tackled me.

I hit the ground. Hard. But what made it worse was the fact that someone else landed on top of me. Someone a little too heavy for me to support comfortably.

"Get off me, you idiot!" I shouted, pulling at Percy's hair and thrashing around.

"Stop it! Stop attacking me and I'll get off!" he replied, grabbing at my wrists and trying to duck his head away from me. I ignored him and continued kicking and scratching. I even resorted to biting his hand when it came to close to my mouth. There was no way in hell I was staying here. Not after what I just saw last night.

"Percy! Leave her!" A commanding voice called.

Percy gave me once last grimace before rolling off of me and standing up. He strategically placed himself between me and the exit. Cunning little jerk.

I stood up as well, brushing my pants off once again and looking up to meet the newcomer.

"The horse-man," I said. He raised an eyebrow, but other than that made no visible sign that he disapproved of my name for him.

"Chryseis, I am Chiron. I run this camp," the man-horse, Chiron, said. I blinked slowly and smiled.

"So…this is Camp Halfblood?"

Chiron nodded and I suddenly felt very badly about biting Percy.

"And my dad left me here, right? For my protection?"

Another nod.

I felt even worse. Maybe I shouldn't have punched him.

"Well then…shall we get me acquainted? Dad told me a little about the camp before we left, but he didn't know everything about it," I informed Chiron.

"Of course. Percy here will show you around and introduce you to your fellow campers. Meanwhile, I'll have your things sent to the Hermes cabin so that you can get settled in when you arrive. I plan on integrating you into the camp activities as quickly as possible, so be ready tomorrow morning," he said. I nodded and watched as he clip-clopped away, his tail swishing back and forth.

The rest of the campers who had gathered around dispersed, a few of them even waving and smiling at me. I returned the welcoming gestures and turned around. Percy was massaging his bitten hand. When he looked up, he frowned.

"Sorry about that. I thought you had kidnapped me," I said simply, shrugging my shoulders. He shook his head and shouldered his way past me.

"Forget it. Let's just get this over with."

Wonderful! I had already made a new friend!


	5. In Which I Have a Friend That Gets Me in

Chapter Five: In Which I Have a Friend That Gets Me into Trouble…Twice

A/N: This is the redone chapter five.

A/N2: I really want to get this story moving, so let's fast forward, shall we? Don't worry, I have every intention of explaining everything fully!

STORY NOTE: I can't seem to remember if I mentioned ages. Chris, Percy, and Annabeth are, for the purpose of this fanfic, seventeen. I also gave Psyche's children, which is just Chris for right now, Cabin 21 because on Rick Riordan's website Cabin 20 is the last one listed.

* * *

**-four weeks later-**

"-the fuck are you doing?"

I stopped hitting the back of my head against the wall and looked up from my cross-legged sitting position on the floor of the Psyche cabin. My best friend Elijah was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

I wish I could do the eyebrow thing.

Anyway…

"I'm attempting to knock the thoughts of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named out of my head," I replied as Elijah stepped inside the cabin and sat down next to me, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Elijah, at nineteen years old, was a whole six-foot-two. He towered over my midgety five-foot-six.

"Now, are we talking Harry Potter's He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Because I told you Harry beats him," he said, reaching over and tugging on one of the many tiny braids scattered throughout my hair.

"And I told you I finished reading that already. But no, I'm talking about my He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Elijah nodded and leaned his head back against the wall to stare at the ceiling. I threw my hands up into the air and let them fall back to the floor with a loud thump.

"I'm a second away from stabbing a fork in my ear," I growled, my fingers messing with the hem of my jeans.

When Elijah didn't respond the two of us fell into a comfortable silence.

Elijah wasn't actually supposed to be in the Psyche cabin. He wasn't a brother, nor was he that day's cabin inspector. He was a son of Apollo and one of the best archers in the camp. He was also the one who taught me how to shoot and bow and arrow and hit dead center every time.

Okay, so I can't hit dead center every time.

But he can.

We actually met during my first archery lesson, which was actually my second day at the camp. I had managed to shoot an arrow that ricocheted off the edge of the target, off a tree, and off a son of Ares' shield before finally glancing off of Chiron's rear and clattering uselessly to the ground at my feet.

Elijah likes to call that move my "Boomerang Shot."

He kindly came over to me after Chiron stomped away and taught me a few tricks to aiming and shooting.

And now I'm as good as the worst Apollo archer! Seriously, I am! I'll probably never be as good as an Apollo kid or one of the Hunters, but I'm definitely better than everyone else!

I was so grateful for Elijah. I hadn't been getting along well with the other campers and I was all alone in my cabin. Sure, Nico di Angelo was alone in his cabin, too, but he was barely around.

Elijah was the first person to actually treat me nicely. He didn't compare me to Kronos because of my eyes, he didn't ignore me because of the nickname Percy Jackson gave me, and he didn't avoid me because of my slightly hostile and sarcastic defense mechanism.

Don't get me wrong, people talked to me. After I managed to knock my team's flag out of an Apollo kid's hands with one of my gold arrows during an especially brutal game of Capture the Flag I had been quite the person to know. Some people began to question whether or not I was actually a daughter of Psyche and not one of Tyche.

"So I take it this means you're still crushing hard?" he asked, gently nudging me with his elbow to make sure I was listening. I groaned and closed my eyes, knocking the back of my head against the wall one more time.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Elijah got up and stretched his arms above his head, his fingertips skimming the honey-gold wooden paneling of the ceiling. I continued to watch him as he walked over to one of the windows and leaned on the sill, holding his right index finger out.

Almost immediately a butterfly, pink with black designs, landed on his outstretched finger. That's how it was at the Psyche cabin. Butterflies seemed to migrate towards it. Anybody who got too close usually managed to acquire a butterfly companion for a little while. They didn't bother me, though. Perhaps they knew I didn't much care for insects?

"You know, some people call that little shock you probably get when you see him a feeling. Feelings are a good thing," Elijah said, turning back to face me once the butterfly got bored of him. I could just barely see it landing on one of the giant sunflowers surrounding my cabin.

"I don't care. The next time he calls me that stupid nickname I'll kill him, feelings be damned," I protested, lifting myself up onto my feet and reaching for my bow.

My bow. Now that's something interesting to talk about.

Everyone else usually just had basic, boring bows. Well, except for the Apollo kids. They all had bows given to them by Apollo. Elijah seems to think Apollo was the one who gave me my bow and I'm starting to think he might be right. It was just sitting there on my bed one day after Javelin Throwing, all golden and pretty. It was simple enough in design; a pair of curved, golden limbs that were about half my size. Even the string was gold. And there, etched into the top of it, was my name, Chryseis, written in Ancient Greek. And the area where the arrow rested when drawn had a Greek etching, too.

"Golden Ray," I whispered, stroking my bow affectionately. Elijah had translated it for me since my Ancient Greek was a bit rusty at the time. And ever since I spoke its name Golden Ray had never let me down. It heated up when an enemy was approaching and glowed brightly to blind an enemy who got too close.

"You know, you could always just marry your bow. You seem to like it as much as Per-" Elijah began, but trailed off at the glare I shot him.

"I'm sorry, Elijah. What was that?" I questioned, this time reaching for my sword and dagger set. They were another gift, but I knew who had sent them.

They were pure white, handle and blade both, with gold sphere pommels, gold rapier guards, and a single gold butterfly welded into the base of each of the blades. These were quite obviously gifts from my mother.

They weren't magical, really. Magically beautiful, I suppose, but that was it. I had named the sword and dagger White Honor and Blind Faith respectively.

No, I didn't have a reason for naming them that. I honestly just thought the names sounded catchy. The first time I told Elijah the names I picked out he laughed. Said something about me being overdramatic about everything. And then he proceeded to try and figure out what my Achilles Heel was.

For those of you who don't know, an Achilles Heel is a weakness. A great weakness, actually. It refers to the legendary hero Achilles, whose mother dipped him in the River Styx to make him impervious to battle injuries. They say that if you go to the River Styx and take a dip, you'll get an Achilles Heel of your own. It would be in a place of your choosing, of course. Assuming you're strong enough to resist the Styx's power.

But what Elijah was really trying to figure out but just didn't know the name of, I decided, was my tragic flaw.

A tragic flaw is the one major character flaw that all Greek heroes of legend have. Othello, for instance, was quite jealous. So jealous that he ended up killing Desdemona because he thought she was sleeping with some other guy. And then he killed himself because he found out that she wasn't and he had basically just murdered her because of hearsay.

So sad.

To this day Elijah is still trying to figure out what my tragic flaw is.

Back to the present…

"I was just thinking I should find You-Know-Who and tell him about all the little compliments you've wrote about him in your diary. You know the ones. There's one about his eyes being as beautiful as the last rays of sunset passing over the ocean and one about his skin being as smooth as new fallen snow. Oh, and that one about him being hot. You know, you really are quite the poet. I bet Dad would like you," Elijah finished.

I could feel my skin heating up steadily as I began to think about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"It's not like it matters what I say about him. He hates me! And he's already got a girlfriend. Ashley or whatever," I snapped, falling to my knees and shoving my arm under my bed, blindly searching for my leather armor.

"Ashley? That's not even close. That's worse then…what did you call her last time? Francine?" Elijah asked, collapsing onto my bed.

"Francesca, actually. And that was close!"

"Her name is Annabeth," he deadpanned.

"What's the big deal? They both have two a's."

"That's like saying Eugene and Voldemort are close enough because they both have e's."

I snorted and tightened my fingers around the leather fastenings of my chest armor. I sat back on my knees as I pulled my armor out and began brushing my hand over it roughly, attempting to knock the dried up mud from yesterday's Capture the Flag off of it.

And then the day went from bearable to awful when a shadow fell across the paneled floor of Cabin 21.

"Speaking of Voldemort," I said loud enough that the newcomer scoffed.

"Chiron wanted me to come and get you so that you wouldn't be late for Capture the Flag like last time," Percy Jackson said, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms over his chest.

Damn, he looked good in that armor.

"Don't worry about it, Jackson. I've got her," Elijah said, playfully pushing me over on my side with his foot. I let out an angry squeal and kicked out at him, becoming even more frustrated when he lifted his legs and I kicked the bed frame instead.

"That's great and all, but I don't want to get in trouble if you decide to skip out," Percy said. Clearly he wasn't going to go away easily. I lifted myself off the ground and slipped my newly cleaned armor over my head. There were still a few streaks of mud here and there, but I wasn't too concerned. I knew I'd be hitting the mud again today.

"Seriously, Jackson, beat it. I don't want you stinking up my cabin," I spat, tightening the leather straps at my sides to secure my chest plate.

Truth be told, I thought Percy smelled really good. Like AXE and autumn with just a hint of the outdoors and the morning tide. But I wasn't about to tell him that.

"Listen, Mouth. I'm responsible for you. If I go ahead and you don't show Chrion'll suspend my riding privileges," Percy said, stepping into the cabin and fingering the sheer, glittery white curtains at the nearest window that waved gently with the breeze.

I felt my eye twitch.

"I told you never to call me that, Jackson. My name is Chris. Simple enough to remember, even for you. Chris," I snapped with narrowed eyes.

I could tell by his smirk that he wasn't intimidated.

Elijah, gods bless him, could sense my irritation and nervousness. He stood up and went over to stand by Percy.

"No worries, bro. Just tell Chiron I'll bring her. I'll take responsibility," he said, placing a hand on one of Percy's shoulders.

Now, just because Percy and I didn't get along doesn't mean that he and Elijah don't. Elijah's pretty well liked around the camp. So is Percy. Elijah's got a bit of a reputation as the heroic type. So does Percy. Elijah is good looking and has most of the girls swooning over him. So does Percy. So it's understandable that the two would get along decently with one another despite having two entirely different view points when it comes to me.

Percy nodded and clapped Elijah on the back.

"You sure? I know Mouth's a handful," he said. I let out an indignant shriek and pulled Blind Faith from its sheath. I had intended to throw it at him, but my plans were tossed out the window when he saw me. His hand went to his pocket where I knew he kept his weapon of choice, Riptide.

"Sure you want to try it, girl? You aren't the best fighter."

For a moment I had a vision of me running at Percy, dagger in hand. He easily knocked it out of my hand and grabbed me, spinning me around and pressing me against the wall. He leaned in close and roughly pressed his lips against mine.

I shook my head and forcefully pulled myself back into reality.

"You'd be surprised, Jackson," I defended, sheathing Blind Faith and slinging Golden Ray over my shoulder along with its matching quiver and arrows, both of which were entirely gold as well.

I couldn't see him anymore, but I was pretty sure Percy had a self-satisfied smirk plastered on his face.

"Go on, dude. I'll bring her with me. Wouldn't want you to go without riding Blackjack for a while," Elijah said.

There was a bit more polite chatter between the two, but when the cabin got darker I knew Elijah had drawn the door hangings shut. That meant Percy was finally gone.

"He's really a good guy, Chris. Maybe you could be nicer to him?" Elijah said, returning to his former seat on my bed. I rolled my eyes and pulled my hair back at the base of my neck, securing it there with a hair elastic.

"Yeah, and maybe Artemis will break her vows to go frolicking in a field of daisies with a satyr," I replied, turning to face him and placing my hands on my hips. He held up his hands in front of him and shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, okay. Forget I even mentioned it."

"I intend to."

* * *

**-thirty minutes later-**

"I feel like we're forgetting something," Elijah muttered. He and I were laying on my bed, each the opposite direction from the other. I pushed my sock-clad foot into his nose and laughed while simultaneously fending off his own attack to my mouth.

"We probably are. It wouldn't be the first time, right?" I answered, grabbing his left big toe and pulling it back and forth.

And then my stomach fell.

I sat straight up, my widened eyes meeting his shocked ones.

"Capture the Flag."

We both scrambled out of the bed, Elijah getting tangled in the sheets and falling to the floor with a loud thump.

"How could we have forgotten? We were getting ready for it! And Percy even reminded us!" I shouted, grabbing the belt White Honor and Blind Faith were on and fastening it around my waist.

"I'd forget my own birthday if my cabin mates didn't celebrate it," Elijah offered, waiting for me to stuff my feet in my boots with Golden Ray in his hand. As soon as I stumbled over to my vanity table, which was made purely of glass with the exception of the mirror, I pulled my quiver over my head and ran out the door, Elijah right on my heels.

"Chiron's gonna kill us."

* * *

**-five minutes later-**

"When Percy told me you had taken responsibility for seeing Chris made it to all her activities in time I knew I should have been more worried," Chiron said to Elijah who was sheepishly smiling and scratching the back of his head.

"You know me, Chiron. I'd forget my own birthday if-"

"Yes, yes, I know. You'd forget your own birthday if your cabin mates didn't celebrate it. I've heard that excuse one too many times."

"But it's the truth, Chiron! Just ask them!"

The entire Apollo cabin nodded and voiced their agreements, laughing as they did so.

Chiron closed his eyes and massaged his temples. During this time I took the chance to look around and see which team I'd be on.

Athena and Ares were always together on the red team, as were Apollo and Hephaestus on the blue. Hermes alternated between the two teams so as not to give one team a consistent numbers advantage. Percy generally kept to the blue team because that was the first one he had been a part of, but every now and then Chiron asked him to go over with the red team. Nico di Angelo, when he was around, stayed close to Percy, so whichever team Percy went with, he followed. Aphrodite was generally traded off from team to team like Hermes was simply because they generally just wandered off to brush their hair or something. Dionysus preferred the red team and since Demeter didn't mind which team they went to they were usually on the blue team. Iris liked both colors equally, so they were also passed off from team to team depending on which one had less numbers. Hypnos, like Aphrodite, was never much help so they were switched between teams as well. Nemesis went with whichever team had the least likely chance of winning in order to help the balance and Nike went with whichever team had the most likely chance of winning to help ensure their victory. Hebe wanted everyone to win so that everyone would be happy. This usually made them as useful as Aphrodite and Hypnos so they alternated teams, too. Tyche was fought over so much that eventually Chiron decided to split the cabin and put half on each team. Hecate was also fought over, but in the end they decided that they would rather side with the blue team. Apparently, blue was a more magical color.

Today the match up was;

(RED) Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Iris, Hebe, Nemesis, and half of Tyche

_**vs.**_

(BLUE) Apollo, Hephaestus, Hermes, Percy, Demeter, Hypnos, Nike, half of Tyche, and Hecate.

That meant I would be on the red team to try and even the odds.

"Chris, until you can learn to be punctual without any assistance your riding privileges are revoked," Chiron told me. I felt my jaw slacken.

"But that's not fair!" I cried. Chiron shook his head and held up a hand.

"I don't want to hear it. You're constantly late for everything. Everything, that is, except riding lessons. So I don't want to see you anywhere near the Pegasus stables until I say otherwise. Understood?" he asked. I frowned and hung my head in shame.

"Understood."

"Good. You're on red team today. Grab a helmet and get ready," Chiron said before walking/galloping away. I felt Elijah pat my shoulder sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, Chris. This is all my fault," he mumbled. I shook his hand off my shoulder and playfully elbowed him in the side.

"Okay, okay, stop begging! I'll forgive you! I'll even accept a dozen chocolate chip cookies as an apology if you insist!" I called out dramatically, accepting the red helmet that a Hebe boy held out to me. A huge smile spread across Elijah's face and he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close to his side.

"You're the best best friend a guy could ask for, you know that?" he mentioned before pinching my cheek and running off to join his team. I smiled and rubbed my cheek, trying to ease the sting before following the Hebe boy to the rest of the red team.

As soon as I got there I recognized the girl explaining our battle strategy to the group.

"Doris! Great to see you again! So, what've you got in mind to beat those blue bastards?" I questioned loudly, skipping over and crouching down beside her. Her eyes narrowed and she carefully shifted further from me.

"It's Annabeth," she said. I blinked slowly before smiling and nudging her playfully.

"Whatever! I know it's Dorothy!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and continued explaining her plan to the rest of the team while I zoned out and stared at the back of her head.

I knew her name was Annabeth. Of course I knew. I was quite good with names and faces, actually. But she was Percy's girlfriend or, at the very least, a close friend of his.

And I was quite jealous.

Not Othello jealous. No, not quite that jealous. But I was jealous enough that I felt obliged to dislike her.

"And Chris, you'll be up in the tree right here. You're our best bow so we'll need you to be on the lookout and guard the flag," Annabeth instructed, turning to look at me. I nodded.

"And you're being nice enough to not mention the fact that I'm dead awful with the sword," I said. Most of the team snickered at my self-deprecation and Annabeth smiled sympathetically.

"You're not the worst. You just have a problem with…"

"Depth perception?"

Again, more laughter.

"Yeah. And swinging," she added.

"What? I thought my swinging was superb!" I cried, obviously being sarcastic.

Cue more laughter.

* * *

Climbing the tree proved to be quite the task for me. I was abysmal at rock climbing, but hardly anyone knew that because I only attempted it at night. The only one to see me actually try to climb was Elijah and he had trouble muffling his laughter.

I placed my hands on my hips and glared at the tree.

"Now you listen to me. You are going to let me climb you or I'll slash you to smithereens," I growled at it. The leaves rustled in the breeze.

I sighed and felt myself deflate, my shoulders rolling forward and my back slumping.

"I'm supposed to be the lookout and guard. How can I lookout and guard from the ground?"

No one replied. How could they? They were all fighting.

If everyone followed Annabeth's plan, three Ares kids would be circling the perimeter and a Tyche girl would be hanging out in a tree right above the flag, ready to fall on anyone who managed to make it through.

I bet she managed to climb the tree.

I pulled the red helmet off my head and tossed it to the side. I spat on my hands and rubbed them together before I jumped up and grabbed at a branch, actually managing to close my fingers around it and hang on tightly. I tried to climb up the side of the tree, but my feet just scraped against the trunk uselessly. Eventually my arms gave up and I dropped to the ground heavily, a painful shock reverberating through my legs and up my spine.

Several attempts later I decided to stay on the ground with my bow drawn. My eyes were flickering from side to side and every five minutes I would slowly turn in a circle.

Everything was going fine until, during one of my circles, I spotted movement. As a reflex I let my arrow fly. There was a momentary pause before the movement resumed. They were getting closer. I drew another arrow and set it in place.

Looking up into the tree about the flag I saw that the Tyche girl who I knew as Meredith Foley was gone.

"Why is she gone?" I whispered angrily. Tyche kids were supposed to be unusually lucky. Couldn't she have been lucky enough to realize there was a creeper near and she needed to stop him or her?

The movement continued and I knew if I didn't act we'd lose. Hell, we'd lose anyway with me as a guard. But at least this way they couldn't accuse me of not trying. I edged closer to the flag and waited, my eyes trained on the rustling of leaves.

Once the person made it through the dense forestry and stepped out into the clearing I felt my throat close up.

Yeah, we were definitely going to lose.

"How's it going, Mouth?" Percy asked, Riptide uncapped at his side. I saw a glint of yellow in his left hand and realized he was holding one of my gold arrows.

"I was sure I hit you," I commented, pulling back Golden Ray's string and aiming at his right shoulder.

"You did," he answered, turning his left arm to the side and revealing a rather deep, rather bloody slash. My eyes flickered back down to my arrow. Surely enough, the tip was streaked with crimson.

"I'm not going to apologize," I said stubbornly. Percy shrugged his shoulders and swung Riptide in a wide circle at his side.

"I'm not asking you to."

I eyed him warily and shifted closer to the flag, bowstring taut and arrow ready to fire.

And then it happened.

Golden Ray heated up. I narrowed my eyes and spun around, letting the arrow fly into the shoulder of whomever it was who thought they could sneak up on me.

"Damn, Chris. Couldn't you aim for somewhere a bit less vital?" the familiar voice questioned. I didn't bother to answer Elijah. Instead I turned away from him and notched another arrow, aiming once again for Percy's right shoulder.

Speaking of Percy…

"Nice bow."

"Thanks. It was a gift," I said, smiling sardonically.

"I thought you said you could get to her before she could get to you," Percy called out to Elijah. I looked over my shoulder at my friend. He had gotten to his feet and was working on pulling my arrow from his shoulder.

"I thought I'd be faster than her," he answered honestly. I snorted and turned my gaze back to Percy. He was inching closer to the flag and, by default, closer to me. I let an arrow fly.

Percy was expecting it and dodged it easily enough, ducking and leaning to the side. My arrow whizzed harmlessly by and buried itself into a tree trunk.

"You know you can only hold us back for so long using the bow, right?" Percy asked, coming closer, Riptide at the ready. I scoffed.

"By then my backup will have heard us. Somehow I don't think you'll be talking all high and mighty when you have a whole clan of Ares kids on your back," I lied. There were only three Ares guys walking around and there was no way they heard us. Our volume was too low and the distance was too great. I wasn't clever enough to come up with a way of alerting them without also alerting Percy and Elijah. And if they realized I was trying to get help they'd just knock me over and take the flag faster then they were already going to.

No, right now my only hope was that Meredith would wander along and see we were in danger of losing. But until then I'd have to distract the enemy.

I set another arrow in place, but this time I pointed it down at the ground. No use tiring my arms out unless I'd be able to get another hit. I backed up so the flag was right behind me and angled myself so that I could see both Percy and Elijah.

Elijah had managed to pull my arrow from his shoulder and now unsheathed his own sword.

"This is so not fair." I whined before I could stop myself. Percy raised an eyebrow and Elijah smiled.

"This is war. All's fair in war," Elijah mocked.

I needed to intimidate them. But how? Elijah pretty much knew everything about me. I couldn't intimidate him. But could I intimidate Percy?

I pulled my bow up and notched the arrow, pulled back, and let it go. The arrow flew straight at Elijah's face. Just as I expected, Elijah deflected it easily with his blade.

"Is that the best you've got, sis?" he asked, shaking his head and smiling.

"OW!"

Elijah's smile fell off his face as he whirled around to see Percy clutching his thigh. When he removed a hand I could see a gash that matched the one on his arm. I smiled and let out a short bark of laughter. When the two looked up at me I flashed them my middle finger. I turned and winked at Elijah.

"Boomerang Shot," I said.

* * *

"Boomerang Shot? What's a Boomerang Shot?" Percy questioned, wincing as he stood up straight and looking from me to Luke.

"It's her secret bow technique. Developed it on her second day here," Elijah explained. And even though my Boomerang Shot had been a complete accident and hadn't been the least bit dangerous the first time I did it I had been secretly trying to figure out a way to make it a legitimate attack of mine. It had only worked this time because I knew the person I was aiming at. I knew he would deflect it off to his right with his sword. I also knew that Percy wouldn't think to dodge an attack meant for someone else. If it had been a real enemy my Boomerang Shot probably wouldn't have worked.

"Whatever. I say we knock her over and take the flag now before anyone else comes," Percy said. Elijah shrugged.

"Let's do it then, bro."

The two of them began advancing on me and my team's precious flag. My mind moved at warp speed.

_If I go for an arrow they'll just start running. I know I'm fast enough to fire it, but I'd only be able to get one of them. Then I'd have to worry about defending myself and the flag with my bow. Trying to get to my sword by then would take too much time. But if I go for my sword now I won't even be able to take out one of them. Damn it, Chris, think faster. You know what, don't think. Just do._

I pulled an arrow from my quiver and notched it. As expected, Percy and Elijah began running. I aimed and fired. The arrow buried itself in Elijah's thigh and almost immediately he went down. Golden Ray burned angrily and I spun around, bringing it up to block Riptide. Golden Ray let out a burst of bright light that sent Percy stumbling backwards.

I had forgotten about that!

I dropped Golden Ray and pulled out White Honor. The metal sang as it was whipped from its scabbard, almost as if it was happy to be of help.

I brought my sword up over my head to meet Percy's.

They met with such a force that my arms were knocked up and White Honor flew from my grasp. I felt my breath forced from my lungs as Percy slammed his shoulder into my chest. I staggered and lost my balance, falling gracelessly on my ass.

My hand immediately sought out Blind Faith, but the metallic sheen of Riptide at my throat stopped me. I lifted my chin in an effort to keep some distance between me and the blade. My eyes flickered to Percy's.

"Get up," he commanded. I raised both my hands to show I was weaponless before putting them on the ground to lift my body up. I was very slow and very careful, determined to remain unscathed.

I stood up straight, but Percy kept Riptide at my throat. It was almost like he didn't want his moment of victory to end.

Damn, I sucked at this.

Then I felt a sharp, heavy blow to the base of my skull and collapsed, my knees slamming into the ground. I bit my tongue when my chin dropped and smacked into my chest.

"I thought you were her friend," I heard Percy say, although it was quite difficult to make out. Sounds were becoming muffled. It took all my strength to raise my head and look up.

"She shot me. Twice. She'll get over it," Elijah said, sheathing his sword before turning to look at me. Everything was fuzzy. Everything was dark…and getting darker. I could barely feel the throbbing in my head anymore. It kind of felt like I was underwater.

"Sorry, sis. You'll have a headache for a while, but you'll be fine," Elijah told me. It was hard to understand him.

I watched as he walked over to the flag and lifted it up. I was startled when Percy knelt down in front of me and felt myself sway, my balance upset by the tremor of surprise. He reached out and grabbed my shoulders to hold me steady. And then he lifted a hand and placed it on my cheek.

What was he doing? Is it nighttime already?

I could feel his thumb moving back and forth on my cheek.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Was there cotton in my ears? I couldn't hear him that well.

I furrowed my brow and reached up a hand to cover the one he had on my cheek.

"Are you real?" I asked.

Percy's face went from concerned to angry. He turned his head to look at someone over his shoulder. Was that Elijah? What was Elijah doing here? He was supposed to be in the Apollo cabin, right? It was nighttime, wasn't it?

"Dude, how hard did you hit her?" Percy asked. Am I in water?

"She'll be fine. She's just a little delirious. Give her about ten minutes and she'll be back to her normal self. Come on. We've got a game to win."

Percy looked back at me, his face back to looking concerned once again. He was getting fuzzier by the second. I let my eyes flutter closed and relaxed my muscles. I fell into Percy and felt his arms encircle me. If I wasn't so sleepy I'd be happy he was touching me.

And then I finally blacked out.

* * *

I felt a jarring force in my foot and opened my eyes. The sun was shining brightly and I had to raise my arm to shield my eyes. I lifted my self up into a sitting position and looked around. Annabeth was standing in front of me, arms crossed over her chest.

"Well done, Chris. There's not a scratch on you. Did you even try?" she questioned angrily. I narrowed my eyes and reached my hand up to the back of my head. Immediately upon contact a sharp stinging pain surged through the base of my skull. I hissed and pulled my hand back.

"What happened?" I asked, genuinely at a loss. Annabeth rolled her eyes and kicked my foot again.

"Snap out of it. You screwed up and we lost," she spat. Before I could apologize she stormed away. Most of the red team gave me angry and disappointed looks before turning and following her. Some, however, stayed behind to help me.

"It's not just you're fault, you know. We all could've done better," Meredith Foley said as she reached down and grabbed my left arm. A son of Ares grabbed my right and they both lifted me to my feet.

"I don't even know what happened," I said. The two slung my arms around their shoulders and began walking me back to the Big House so I could be healed. The Hebe boy who gave me my helmet at the beginning of the game came over and began walking backwards in front of me.

"Percy and Elijah found you. You did a fair amount of damage for a newbie, but Elijah knocked you out and took the flag," he explained. I frowned and clenched my hands into fists.

"That son of a bitch knocked me out? We're supposed to be friends! Who does that to a friend?" I shouted angrily. My head began to throb angrily and I closed my eyes tightly.

"You shot him twice. Once in the shoulder and once in the thigh. And they weren't exactly shallow, either," Meredith countered. I groaned and tightened my arms around her and the Ares kid's necks as my legs started to tremble.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. But still. He knocked me out and just left me there."

"You weren't in any real danger," the Ares kid who I now recognized as Tristan Jenkins said.

"Yeah, he and Percy told Chiron what happened and we immediately came to find you. I would've been there to help you, but we decided last minute that I would patrol with the other three. Annabeth felt awful for leaving you on your own to guard the flag," Meredith said. I laughed, but my laughter turned into a moan of pain as another sharp pain spread through my head.

"She didn't sound like she felt bad."

"Can you blame her? Her boyfriend likes you!" the Hebe boy said. I snapped my head up to look at him, but groaned and let it drop onto Meredith's shoulder instead.

"What do you mean? Percy Jackson hates my guts."

"Could've fooled me. He was yelling at Elijah for knocking you out and leaving you, but then Elijah pointed out that he left, too. Chiron actually had to pull Percy off him. I think he managed to give Elijah a black eye first, though."

I closed my eyes and tried to remember exactly what happened.

It would've been easier if my heart wasn't doing back flips. Did Percy actually like me? Did he really care? What if we started dating?

I opened my eyes again and stared at the bouncing, smiling boy in front of me. He was so enthusiastic that he nearly tripped on a stone. Obviously he was thrilled that his news made me happy.

"What's your name?" I asked him. The Hebe boy's smile grew larger and he laughed.

"Xander! Xander Leon!" he answered. He was young, maybe only eleven. His hair was thick and long, the black curls falling just above his shoulders. His eyes were a bright green and his skin was so pale I was worried he might turn to ash in the sun.

"Once I get out of the infirmary you and I are going to have to have a little chat," I said. Xander nodded energetically.

"I'd be happy to!"


	6. In Which I Argue With A Bunny, Show Elij

Chapter Six: In Which I Argue With a Bunny, Show Elijah My Tragic Flaw, Learn That My Love Life is More Public Than I Originally Thought, And Try to Prove I'm Right

A/N: If you read the first draft of chapter five, you'll remember that I mentioned a tragic flaw for Chris in it. That was one of the reasons I decided to scrap that version and start over. I decided that a demigod's tragic flaw should be their parent's flaw, or at the very least similar to their parent's. Read on to find out what Chris's new tragic flaw is.

STORY NOTE: For the Poseidon cabin I used the one described in the book. However I envision the characters like how they were portrayed in the film (which I loved).

* * *

My stay in the infirmary was a short, albeit productive one. Ten minutes after I entered the cabin I was skipping out of it, head perfectly healed. My memories, however, weren't coming back. The only thing I seemed to remember was watching Elijah walk over to the red team's flag. After that my memory goes straight to Annabeth waking me up.

The little Hebe boy, Xander, was so eager to talk with me that he began our little chat while I was sipping ambrosia. He kept saying that Annabeth actually thought I was pretty cool, she was just hostile because her boyfriend, Percy Jackson, thought I was cool, too. Cool enough to be more than a friend.

He went on and on about the way Percy Jackson looked at me. When I asked him what the hell he meant by that he insisted that his girlfriend-yes, his girlfriend- was a daughter of Aphrodite and thus knew the hidden feelings in glances. He told me that Daphne, that was his girlfriend's name, saw Percy glance at me when my attention was elsewhere. She told him, and I quote, "That is a couple destined for a love to define their generation."

Pretty deep coming from a fourteen year old girl.

As it turns out, Xander himself is actually fifteen. He just looks twelve. Kind of like Momiji from the manga Fruits Basket. Xander is as cute as a bunny rabbit, but also a little irritating. Someone you need to hang around in small doses.

After that he started saying that Percy defended me when people talked about me negatively. As a for instance, Xander told me that one time an Ares guy said I was nothing special and that my bow skills were exaggerated. Percy leapt to my defense, saying I was as good as any Apollo kid.

I told Xander that Percy was probably just trying to be noble and heroic like he normally is.

Xander didn't have a counter for that.

But he did have another point.

"He's mean to you! Doesn't that tell you anything?" Xander had exclaimed. My brow furrowed and I couldn't help poking him in the side. He was a ticklish boy, so he had a quick body spasm and doubled over to shield himself from any other attacks.

"He's mean to me because he doesn't like me, Bunny," I said, grabbing his nose between my index and middle fingers when he sat up straight again and tugging on it playfully. Xander smacked my hand away and rapped his knuckles against my head like he was knocking on a door.

"No! Daphne says that it's a classic kindergarten move! The boy teases and pulls on the girl's pigtails because he likes her! Percy calls you Mouth and mocks you because he's got feelings for you!" Xander had protested. I didn't know which to be more irritated by. The fact that this kid had just knocked on my head or that he had compared the relationship Percy and I might have to kindergarten.

By the time I was ready to leave the infirmary Xander was following me around like a butterfly from my cabin. I was surprised he didn't try to sit on my shoulder.

"Tell me you don't like Percy and I'll leave the subject alone," Xander said, suddenly sounding quite serious. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"Listen, kid. I don't know how I feel about him. Sometimes my heart does this spasm thing when I see him and my stomach feels like it'll fly because it has so many butterflies. But other times I want to punch him in the face! You know, I've seriously considered stabbing a fork in my ear just to get the thoughts of him out of my head? And he calls me Mouth! I hate that nickname and he knows it. I swear he wants to drive me crazy. But then he'll do that thing he does with his eyes. You know, he'll get this intense gleam in them and you feel like he's seeing straight into your soul. He'll get in my head and I can't get him out, so I start sneaking glances at him when he's not looking and then I feel like a stalker! And, gods damn it, all I want to do is kiss him!" I shouted, glaring at Xander and clenching my hands into fists.

Xander stood there, a big smile plastered on his face. He was completely unfazed by my yelling and even winked at me when I was finished.

"So I won't be leaving the subject alone, then."

And with that the little rabbit bastard hopped along over to the Aphrodite cabin where a pretty girl with fiery red hair greeted him.

"Damn bunnies," I growled as the two gave each other a cutesy kiss and began talking about my love life. Probably. I couldn't be sure, but I made an educational guess based on the way the two were looking over at me and smiling knowingly.

"Damn bunnies," I hissed before storming away.

* * *

I picked up the javelin that had been abandoned and turned it around so that the pointed end was facing behind me. I creeped up behind my target quietly and took aim. As soon as his partner spotted me and opened his mouth to say something I swung.

The javelin smacked into Elijah's head with a loud crack.

"What the fuck?" he shouted, falling to the ground and holding his head in both hands. I turned the javelin around and pointed the sharp end at his partner, an older Hephaestus guy.

"Beat it," I said. He nodded and took off, most likely to tattle on me. I figured I probably had about eight minutes before Chiron came to suspend my riding privileges for a whole summer. I stared down at Elijah who was still rolling around on the ground with his head clutched between his hands.

"Why the fuck would you do that, you bitch?" he questioned, his voice trembling from the pain he was in. I tossed the javelin off to the side and crouched down in front of him. His blue eyes met mine and I could see the dark black bruise Xander told me Percy had given Elijah when I first woke up.

"Payback is the real bitch, Eli," I replied. He spat at the ground right in front of my feet before pushing himself up and sitting cross-legged. His blonde hair was sticking up at every angle, probably from him rubbing at it in an attempt to ease the pain.

"I just got you back for the arrows you shot in me," he said, pressing his fingers to his head and pulling them away to see if he was bleeding.

"Those arrows weren't that deep. You know I always hold back when it's a recreational battle. And I wouldn't have hit you so hard if you had stayed with me to make sure I actually was okay," I said. Elijah's face was still screwed up in pain and he was poking at his head, trying to assess the damage. I sighed and pulled his hands away, getting on my knees and scooting closer to him. I began to prod and poke, sifting through his spiky hair for any signs of blood.

"You're fine, you baby," I said. I was going to back away, but Elijah wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight against him. It was a little uncomfortable since his legs were between us and I had to tense my muscles so as not to fall on him.

"I'm sorry, sis. I got too caught up in winning and I forgot what was really important. I'll never do it again. I promise," he said, his words muffled since his face was pressed into my hair. I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him back.

"And I'm sorry for shooting you," I said. We remained in that position for a while, hugging each other tightly.

"You big baby," I added. We simultaneously broke out into laughter and pulled away. I stood up and helped Elijah to his feet as well. We both began gathering the javelins scattered about and put them back in their holder.

"You know Gary probably went for Chiron," Elijah said. I nodded and shrugged my shoulders.

"We'll be long gone by then," I assured him, placing the last of the javelins in the holder.

"And is there a reason we'll be long gone by then?" he questioned, following close behind me as I started to walk in the direction of the cabins. I smiled and flashed him a smile over my shoulder.

"I'm about to show you my tragic flaw."

* * *

We stood behind the large oak tree for what seemed like hours. Truthfully it was probably only twenty minutes or so. Either way I was getting sick of staring at the Poseidon cabin.

"Have you finally accepted your feelings and are now taking up the new hobby of stalking Percy? Is stalking people your tragic flaw?" Elijah asked, poking me in the shoulder. I shrugged him off and felt a smile spread across my face as Percy exited his cabin, leaving for riding lessons at the Pegasus stables.

"No, you dolt. Just shut up and follow me," I commanded, slipping around the trunk and staying hidden from Percy's view as he left. I watched his back for a minute before deciding he wasn't going to turn back and took off running.

"Shit!" I heard Elijah gasp as he started and took off behind me. I giggled and shot through the entrance to the Poseidon cabin, darting out of the way to make way for Elijah and pressing myself up against the stone wall. Elijah did the same on the opposite side.

"A little warning next time, maybe?" he hissed, trying to steady his breathing. I smiled and poked my head out from behind my hiding place. Percy was gone. I let out a sigh of relief and turned to observe his cabin.

From the outside the cabin looked like something pulled right out of the ocean. Gray stone with seashells and coral embedded in it. Inside it looked much the same. There were six bunk beds total, but only one of them was surrounded by personal property. Against the wall opposite the bunk beds there was a rather beautiful fountain singing happily. It was made from gray stone and there was a fish carved in it that spouted water. There were different colors of coral circling around the base of the fountain and creeping up the sides. As I stepped further into the cabin and closer to the fountain I could see that the bottom of the fountain was completely covered in gold drachma.

I took a slow spin and looked around. There were several odd, but beautiful plants sitting on the windowsills, all which were conveniently facing the ocean, that I could only assume they were from under the sea. Looking up I saw these bronze cow creatures decorated the ceiling, glinting as the sunlight hit them. It was then that I realized the Poseidon cabin was nice and cool despite the heat outside. And the walls sort of glowed with a pearly sheen.

"It's beautiful," I whispered. Elijah had taken a seat on one of the bunks that weren't occupied and whistled.

"You got that right," he replied.

I took one last look around the cabin before hurrying over to Percy's bunk and shoving my hand under the mattress.

"What are you doing?" Elijah asked. I huffed and pulled my arm out before gripping the mattress and flipping it over.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked, pulling the mattress back on the frame when I came up empty-handed. I crawled onto Percy's bed and fell to my stomach, grabbing the pillow I had knocked off when I lifted the mattress and pulling the covering off of it.

"It kind of looks like you've lost it," Elijah asked, his voice thick with unease. I scoffed and tossed the pillowcase aside, instead pressing down on the pillow to see if I could feel anything solid hidden inside. I threw the pillow at the wall when I came up empty handed.

"That Hebe boy, Xander Leon? He told me that Percy liked me. I want to know if that's true, so I'm looking for a journal or something. Anything that'll tell me if that damn bunny was right," I answered Elijah, turning to face him and sitting back on my heels. Elijah's eyebrows were so high I was worried they would fly off his head. But then they lowered and a wide smile spread across his face.

"Of course! Psyche's flaw was curiosity and so is yours! Except it seems like yours borders on obsession to be completely honest," he said. I frowned at him before pulling my legs out from under me and scooting over to the edge of Percy's bed. I began looking through them, pulling out any sheet of paper I could find and scanning over it.

"It's not an obsession! I'm just curious! I want to know! Now are you going to help me or not?" I snapped, slamming one of the drawers shut and opening the one below it. When Elijah didn't reply I sighed.

"I'll take that as a no," I growled, shutting and opening another pair of drawers.

"What are you doing?"

I sighed and threw my hands up, abandoning my search and glaring at Elijah.

"I told you I was looking for a journal or something. Anything that will tell me if Xander was right!" I exclaimed. Elijah's eyed were wide open and he was shaking his head rapidly.

"What's wrong with you, idiot? What are you doing?" I questioned, standing up and placing my hands on my hips.

"That's what I asked you."

I suddenly realized that it wasn't Elijah who had asked that. I whipped around and felt my heart drop.

"Percy!" I squeaked, jumping back and tripping over Elijah's foot. I crashed painfully into the nightstand I had just been rifling through and knocked it over. I cried out as I fell awkwardly, my knee screaming in pain.

"Damn, Chris. Watch what you're doing," Elijah said, standing up and reaching down to pull me up. I leaned against him heavily, unable to put weight on my knee that I had no doubt managed to twist out of place.

"You never answered me," Percy continued, his voice emotionless. His face wasn't revealing anything, either. He was just standing there, waiting for an explanation.

"I was just…I thought maybe…I was trying to…I mean…" all my usual excuses for when I was caught in the act of snooping failed me. Nothing could quite cover why I was tearing through Percy's cabin, which I had no reason for being in, looking for something, which couldn't have been mine since Percy never borrows from me and he's not the type to steal, like a crazed teenager on the stampede. Percy didn't look like he was going to drop the subject anytime soon, so I tugged on Elijah's shirt and gave a sharp shriek of pain.

"She thought that maybe she could find something embarrassing of yours and use it to blackmail you into being nice to her. But as you can see she's a little on the injured side. If you don't mind I'd like to get her fixed up," Elijah supplied. I had never been so thankful for him.

"You're an Apollo kid. Heal her now," Percy said. I winced as I shifted my leg a little too much.

"I don't sing well with an audience," Elijah said. For a moment there was a silent staring match going on between the two. That is, until I interrupted with a soft mewl of discomfort.

"Get out of our way or I'll make you, Jackson," Elijah threatened. Percy didn't respond. My knee was starting to hurt even more and the jeans I was wearing started to feel tighter around the joint.

"Okay, fine. I'm sorry, Jackson. I shouldn't have tried to find something to blackmail you with. I shouldn't have snooped through your stuff. I'm sorry. Can we go now?" I said through a clenched jaw. My eyes were beginning to water. For a moment Percy actually looked shocked that I had apologized. I think it was actually more because he thought Elijah was lying about why we were there. Whichever it was didn't matter to me anymore as he stepped to the side. Elijah reached down and slid an arm under my knees, lifting me up into his arms so that we could make a speedy escape.

As we passed Percy our eyes met. For one blissful moment that thing he does with his eyes, that intense gleam thing, took my breath away. For one blissful moment it felt like he saw into my soul. Funny how a son of Poseidon can see souls and I, a daughter of the goddess of the soul, couldn't.

* * *

Elijah ended up taking me to the infirmary instead of healing it himself. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't sing well in front of an audience. I'm sure the only people who heard him sing were him and his dad.

I was given even more ambrosia and a not-so-shy Apollo kid sang a song to his dad. Just like before I was in and out within ten minutes.

Elijah and I made our way back to cabin 21 in a comfortable silence. That is, until a certain bunny came hopping over.

"Say, Chris, can I come see your cabin? I've never actually looked at it properly since it was built. I heard that the roof changes colors!" Xander said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. I rolled my eyes and was about to tell him to buzz off and be happy elsewhere when his red-headed girlfriend drifted over. Her hair was a mass of wild curls that shined healthily. Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown and were rimmed in thick, dark lashes. Her eyebrows were perfectly shaped in an arch and her skin was pale and flawless. A true daughter of Aphrodite, what with her Prada or Vera Wang or whatever it was that she was wearing. She held out a hand to me which I took nervously.

"Daphne Hayes, daughter of Aphrodite and girlfriend of Xander. A pleasure to meet you, Chryseis," she said in a voice that sounded like Disney's Snow White.

"Just Chris. And this is Elijah Walker. He's one of Apollo's kids," I said. Daphne nodded and smiled pleasantly.

"It's a great honor to meet you both. And I must say it is especially wonderful to meet you, Chryseis. After all, your love life is one my mother and I are very much interested it," she continued. I felt my stomach sink.

"It's just Chris, actually, and what did you say about your mother and my love life?" I asked, suddenly feeling very sick. If Aphrodite thought my love life was interesting I was in for one hell of a ride. She doesn't just take interest in anyone. When one of her daughters tells you she's keeping an eye on yours you start to get a bit concerned.

"Yes, mother and I have found a mutual interest in you and Percy Jackson. We believe that the two of you will be a couple destined-" Daphne began, but I cut her off.

"Yes, yes, I know. Percy and I will be a couple destined for a love to define our generation. Xander told me already."

I heard Elijah cough beside me and could only assume he had managed to choke on his own spit.

"You and Jackson have a destined love? A destined love? Really, Chris? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, punching me in the arm. I stumbled a little and grabbed my arm, rubbing it and shooting him a glare.

"We don't! That's just something the bunnies made up to antagonize me!" I shouted.

"Bunnies?" Daphne questioned softly.

"That's her nickname for us," Xander explained.

"Oh. How cute," she smiled, pecking Xander on the cheek. I decided that gagging was a waste of my time.

"Apparently you two are destined to do something together if Aphrodite's interested," Elijah continued. I stomped my foot and punched him in the gut. He doubled over and coughed.

"I told you already! We don't have anything together! Hell, I've tried to scratch him out of my mind with a fork! How could we have a love that's destined for…whatever it's destined for!" I shouted, my tone bordering on whiny. I looked from the smiling bunny couple to Elijah. All of them had looks that said I was wrong. All of them had looks that said Percy and I had something there.

"You guys are insane!" I howled before spinning around and storming away from them.

"I'll prove it! I'll prove he and I have nothing!" I shouted over my shoulder.

* * *

**-thirty minutes later-**

I had been pacing outside the Poseidon cabin for half an hour. I had been trying to come up with something that would prove that he and I hated each other or, at the very least, would never be anything more than casual acquaintances.

Currently I had…nothing.

I debated asking my mother to smite me, but then I figured who would never do something like that. So then I considered calling Aphrodite ugly or something. Hell, this was mostly her fault anyway.

Of course, I lost my nerve before I could even get the first syllable of her name out.

So after thirty minutes of pacing I decided to do what I did during Capture the Flag.

"Don't think. Just do," I said to myself. And with that little mantra repeating in my head I took up a determined stride and walked straight into cabin 3.

* * *

Percy was lying on his bed messing with his shield. He opened it with a snap, then shut it. Then he opened it and shut it again. Something told me he was bored. Either that or deep in thought.

I cleared my throat and his head immediately lifted, eyes finding me. Boy, were his eyes pretty.

"I have something I need to prove," I announced, clasping my hands behind my back and trying to ignore the fact that they were getting clammier by the second. Percy raised an eyebrow and took off the shield, placing it on the nightstand.

"I see you've cleaned up the mess I left," I tried to say casually, but my voice shook and broke. Percy stood up and began to come towards me.

"Yeah, it was a pretty big mess. You actually managed to break one of the drawers. It won't shut all the way anymore," he said. His tone wasn't accusatory, but rather amused. He stopped a foot away from me. That proved to be too close. I could feel my heart beating and I could swear it was so loud he could hear it.

Neither of us spoke for a while and eventually Percy's eyebrow raised again.

"Um, yeah. What did I want again?" I asked, more to myself than him.

"You said you had something you needed to prove," Percy reminded me. I nodded and brought my hands from behind my back. I hastily wiped them on my jeans.

"Yeah, I do. I do have something to prove."

_Don't think. Just do. Don't think. Just do. Don't think. Just do._

"Go ahead, then."

_Don't think. Just do. Don't think. Just do. Don't think. Just do._

My mantra continued to run through my mind. I really had no idea what I was about to do. If my body did, it certainly wasn't about to inform me.

"Don't think. Just do," I said out loud, trying to steel my resolve. Percy's brow furrowed.

"What?" he asked. I shook my head and met his eyes directly for the first time since I had left his cabin forty minutes ago.

Speaking of which…

"Why did you come back to your cabin so early before? I know it's not like you owe me an explanation. I'm just curious," I asked, my voice still trembling.

"Of course you are," Percy laughed. I couldn't find it in myself to be upset with him for thinking he knew when I would be curious about something. His laugh was so distracting. I wanted to listen to it again and again.

"Blackjack ate too much and wasn't feeling the best."

I nodded and looked down at the stone floor. Percy was wearing a pair of roughed up trainers. I was wearing a pair of black Airwalks. How interesting.

"Not to be impatient, but you have something to prove," he said. I nodded again.

_Don't think. Just do. Don't think. Just do. Don't think. Just do._

"Yeah, I do," I replied.

_Don't think. Just do. Don't think. Just do. Don't think. Just do._

Staying true to my mantra, I didn't think. I just did. I reached up, placed both hands on either side of Percy's face, pulled him down, and pressed my lips against his.

* * *

For a moment I was sure he'd kill me. Run me through with Riptide, snap my neck, something like that. But when he circled his arms around my waist and pulled me close, lifting me to my toes, I thought I had surely gone insane.

Percy Jackson couldn't be kissing me back. He hated me, right? I hated him, right? I just kissed him to prove that we had nothing. Aphrodite was wrong.

But when he parted his lips and angled his head I found myself mirroring his actions. His tongue passed between my lips and ran along my own before retreating back into his mouth. He sucked my bottom lip between his and bit it softly.

I felt him exhale and inhale without parting from my lips and tried doing it myself. The air I breathed was hot and tasted like him, but I knew when Percy pressed his lips against mine again that the air was the last thing my mind should be on.

I was the first to pull away. My hands grabbed the dark blue hoodie he was wearing and rested against his chest as I hung my head. I could feel his chin just above the top of my head.

"I was trying to prove something," I whispered, my voice breathy. Percy's right arm was circling my back so that his hand could rest on my waist and his left was pressed into the small of my back. I felt strangely safe and secure.

"Did you?" he asked, his voice just above me.

"No, I don't think I did."

"Too bad."

I had to bend backwards to look at him and when I did he met my lips with his own once again. I opened my mouth for him obediently when his tongue ran over my bottom lip. His right hand came up and rested on my cheek, his thumb brushing back and forth as his tongue met mine.

And then it happened.

_I saw Percy in front of me, his face concerned. He lifted his hand and placed it on my cheek, his thumb running back and forth._

_"Are you okay?" he asked. He was hard to hear, almost like I was wearing headphones. I reached up and covered his hand with my own._

_"Are you real?" I asked. Percy looked angry as he shouted at Elijah from over his shoulder._

_"Dude, how hard did you hit her?"_

_I couldn't really hear anything else. It all sounded like flies buzzing around. It wasn't until Percy looked back at me, all concerned and caring, that I realized I felt really tired. I closed my eyes and fell into him. His arms caught me and held me close to his chest._

I pulled away from Percy and untangled myself from his arms. He looked shocked and a little disappointed when I backed away from him and smacked his outstretched hand away.

"No. You and I hate each other and that's the way it'll stay. I'll not have my future be decided for me," I said. Percy looked so confused.

"What are you talking about, Chris?"

"No. It's Brennan to you. And you're Jackson. That's how it's staying. Understand?" I said, backing up to the door to his cabin. Percy shook his head.

"Wait a minute. What are you saying? You're the one who kissed me, remember?"

I shook my head and placed my hand over my mouth.

"No. This never happened. Never, okay? We don't like each other, right?" I continued, my voice muffled by my hand. Percy looked like he was about to argue some more, but he just shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Fine. I don't like you, you don't like me. Now get out of my cabin, Brennan."

I dropped my hand and nodded to him before whirling around and running out of his cabin. All I could think about as I headed to my own cabin was how stupid I was. Why go and kiss him like that? I was confused about how I felt about him, sure, but how was kissing him going to clear that up? All it did was make me think about how much I wanted to kiss him again! Damn, I had become one of those stupid girls from those cliché romance stories that think they're in love and become these simpering idiots when they're around the guys they like!

I stepped into my cabin and yanked the hangings shut before throwing myself onto my bed and burying my head in the pillows. Maybe I could just suffocate myself and not have to face Percy tomorrow.

But then I wouldn't be able to tell him I didn't mean those things I said.

…

…

…

"GAH! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?"


	7. In Which I Spend Quality Time with Dr W

Chapter Seven: In Which I Spend Quality Time with Dr. Walker and Ponder My Psychosis

A/N: Thayer's Peak is a fictional novel purely made up for the purpose of this fanfiction.

A/N2: This chapter isn't as long as the others. It actually felt like it would be when I was writing it, but I guess I was wrong. I'll make it up to you guys later.

* * *

I had been sitting on my bed for hours, ipod turned up so loud that I could hear it clearly through the jumbo headphones hanging around my neck. My mind wandered and wandered, losing itself in visions of what I could have done differently, what would have happened if I had done this or that.

Basically, I was moping. In my pajamas. I was moping in my Harry Potter Gryffindor shorts and Sailor Moon t-shirt.

My hair felt so tangled I was worried that I'd lose the hand I would use to try and straighten it out.

Moping wasn't fun.

At all.

I let out a sigh and pulled at my headphones, letting out a frustrated growl as the wire snagged on my chin. As soon as I managed to untangle myself and threw them, ipod still attached, onto my pillow. I let my eyes skirt about my cabin.

The Psyche cabin was actually very pretty. Not in the odd, natural way that Poseidon's cabin was, but in more of a traditional sense. Well, as traditional as a god-inspired home for his or her children could be. Of course my cabin had its quirky spectaculars.

The entire interior was made from wood boards with a golden honey stain. It was kind of like being in a sunroom or something. Right in the middle of the ceiling was a crystal chandelier that was probably the most beautiful chandelier ever to be made. When the sun hit it or the light was turned on, the crystals would shower the room with rainbow-hued prisms. It was absolutely magnificent, but sometimes you just didn't feel like walking around on rainbow-hued prisms. Magically, the chandelier seemed to be able to sense when you wanted this little wonderment to happen and when you didn't, so sometimes it would rainbow the room and other times it would just bathe the interior in a white glow.

In the very center of the cabin the floor dipped down. The dip was square shaped and took up about a quarter of the cabin. It had a flat screen television, several gaming stations, and a full bookcase inside. There was also a set of lavender furniture that was so plush it would swallow you up as soon as you sat down. Two armchairs, a sofa, and a loveseat were arranged in a semi-circle around a pure glass coffee table burdened with several issues of Cosmopolitan and Teen Vogue.

My bed was a king-sized bed. A hard mattress, just like I preferred. There were so many pillows I could probably make a fort. The sheets, blankets, and pillowcases were all different colors; purple, blue, pink, green. I had a glass nightstand on the left side that had a clock radio and the latest novel I was reading along with a half-filled water bottle and a half-empty bag of Pixie Stix. Continuing to the left, my glass vanity table was pushed up against the wall. It had a pretty, circular stool that looked just like the rest of the Psyche cabin furniture and a huge, ovular mirror positioned right in the center. Even the drawers were made of glass, so you could see all my make-up and other personal image enhancing stuff like hair ties and hairspray.

There were rugs scattered about the floor, all of different shapes and sizes with varying shades of purple and green. When you stepped on the soft carpets the area around your foot would begin to sparkle with the colors of the rainbow.

The curtains on the windows were like that, too. They were made of a sheer white, lacey material. They glittered when they moved, which was pretty much all the time. They hung over all twelve windows; four in the front and back of the cabin and two on each end. Normally these windows were open, but when they weren't they had a different landscape view playing realistically over them. Some days I would see a winter wonderland, other days I'd see a breezy autumn afternoon. I had a feeling these scenes were directly linked to the overall mood of everyone in the cabin.

Why did I think this?

Because at that moment I was staring at a tornado blowing a house to smithereens.

I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.

There weren't many plants in the cabin, but the sunflowers circling the whole perimeter of the building would be enough for Demeter herself. And, of course, these sunflowers were usually occupied by the many multi-colored and multi-designed butterflies that seemed to be drawn to the area.

The outside of the cabin, however, was by far the most interesting. At least, it was to other campers.

The outside of the cabin, both walls and roof, were made of a pearly stone material. And what was it about this that was so fascinating?

It changed colors.

I had seen it happen a few times, actually. It wasn't rainbow colored or anything. Just one color. But the color seemed to move along the walls and roof like the colors in an oil spill.

And what did the colors mean?

The colors symbolized the state of my mother's soul.

The best days were when yellow or pink danced along the surface. The bad days, however, were full of blacks and reds, sometimes a dark, muddy blue.

Luckily those days didn't come often and when they did I usually found myself absent of all company. It was like they thought if they stepped too close to the cabin Psyche would blow them up!

She probably wouldn't.

Or would she?

* * *

I continued to observe my cabin. Currently I was distracted by the butterfly-shaped nightlight that couldn't figure out if it should start glowing or not. I think it couldn't decide which weather to accommodate: the clear, sunny day outside or the havoc-wreaking storm playing across the windows. It probably should've gone with the latter, since the scene was preventing light from filtering in.

The door to my cabin, disguised to blend in with the outside of the cabin so anyone who didn't know how to get in would be deterred, was opened and the heavy gold curtains were pushed aside.

I looked up as Elijah slid the door back into place and let the curtains drop back down with a heavy thump.

"Chiron is furious, you know. Four missed lessons and no signs that you're even trying to get to the next one on time. He's close to suspending your riding privileges for the rest of your life," he said, falling into one of the comfy lavender armchairs and picking up a Cosmo. I shrugged my shoulders and continued to stare at the nightlight. Under my absent gaze it lit up brightly.

"I haven't seen you this wrecked since the day you got here. All hysterical and psychotic and shit," he added, casually flipping through the magazine pages. It fell silent for a bit, but a thought struck me suddenly.

"Do you remember Thayer's Peak?" I asked, readjusting my position so I was sitting cross-legged on my bed. I began scratching at my black toenail polish. Elijah gave an affirmative grunt.

"Those two characters, Ebony and Jessie, remember? They hated each other with a passion and snapped at each other every chance they got. Jessie called her names and she insulted his skills and morals," I said. Elijah tossed the magazine back on the table and turned to look at me.

"Where exactly are you going with this, Chris?"

"I read a fanfiction for Thayer's Peak once. I didn't realize the pairing was an Ebony and Jessie pairing. I guess I saw Ebony's name and assumed it would be her and Sam, like it had been in the book."

Elijah made a circular motion with his hand. He wanted me to get to the point.

"Anyway, this fanfic author paired Ebony and Jessie together. Her whole plot was that they had hated each other with such a passion for so long that they accidentally fell in love with each other. She made their romantic relationship so disastrous and chaotic, so full of hatred and confusing love that Ebony's emotional and mental health was compromised. She killed herself, Eli. She had been walking in the rain after a huge fight with Jessie and she ambled out into the middle of the road. A car came and she saw it. She saw the car and she didn't move. She just let it hit her."

Elijah flashed me a confused look.

"She was lying in the middle of the road, just waiting to die. It was a hit-and-run. The driver didn't stay to see if she was okay. So she just laid there, rain falling down on her. And then Jessie came. He had followed her, Eli. And he saw her lying there. He dropped down beside her and held her, not saying a word. He didn't shout for help or anything and she never asked him to. It was like…it was like they had both given up on everything. On their love. On her life. And she died, Eli. She died in his arms."

I could feel my eyes stinging and my cheeks warm and wet with tears. That story had been brilliantly written. It was, in its own way, beautiful.

I jumped as Elijah sat next to me and took my hand. I hadn't seen him move.

"What's your point, Chris?" he asked. As I looked up at him I knew he had an inkling already. He just needed me to confirm.

"My point is that their relationship, Ebony and Jessie's? That's mine and Percy's. That's what will happen to us if we even attempt a relationship. I know it is. We have the exact same beginning and everything. Hell, Ebony and Jessie's relationship started with Ebony trying to prove she felt nothing for him by kissing him! It's exactly what I did, Elijah!" I exclaimed. I turned to look at my best friend and was frustrated when he was expressionless. Had he not heard a single word I said? Wasn't he listening? I was going to die!

And then he shook his head and laughed.

"And you say I'm a drama queen."

I felt my jaw drop and fisted my hand, smacking it against his chest.

"You ass! I'm being serious!" I cried out. Elijah just laughed again and raised an eyebrow. He grabbed my wrists and held them close to his chest, bringing me nearer to him.

"No, you're being dramatic."

I frowned and tried to pull my arms away from him, but he wouldn't let them go. Instead he pulled me even closer and wrapped his arms around me tightly.

"Chris, think about it for a minute. You and Percy are nowhere near as bad as Ebony and Jessie. Percy pokes fun at you and calls you names, sure. You call him names and pretend he's the scourge of Camp Halfblood, yeah. But you guys have never been enemies. You're more like frenemies, actually. You've gotten along with him perfectly well before. It just depends on the day," Elijah explained. I felt myself begin to rise out of my dreary state.

"And if you guys do eventually fess-up to how you feel about each other, your relationship won't be chaotic. It won't be disastrous, either. Sure, it may be explosive at times and might even resemble a tornado meeting a volcano, but let's be honest here, sis. You've got strong emotional health and your mental health is already down the drain. I doubt you and Percy could ever love and hate each other to such an extent that you'd go off yourself because of it. That's just stupid."

I relaxed and returned Elijah's embrace.

"I suppose you're right," I conceded. Elijah laughed and I giggled at the feeling of his chest rumbling against my ear.

"Of course I am. And while we're being honest, maybe you should take a moment for self-evaluation," he said. I felt my brow furrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm quite the psychology buff, so I think I have an idea as to why you blew up about this. Would you care to hear it? I think it might bring you down a notch or two," he said. I pulled away from him and crossed my arms. I hated when he did this, but I also secretly needed it. I wasn't the greatest person in the world and sometimes I needed a little psychology to whip myself into shape.

"Shoot," I said. Elijah smiled and placed his fingertips against one another, forming a peak.

"You, my little sis, are bored. I agree that your situation is a tad confusing and probably isn't the easiest thing for a teenage girl with a single father to figure out, but you're responding to it the wrong way. You're blowing it way out of proportion. And now you've even gone as far as comparing it to some silly fanfiction story about a relationship that only slightly resembles the one you might possibly start with a guy you thought you hated. I think you're bored and you want to liven up your life. And how do you do it? By creating drama that doesn't need to exist between you and Percy and making yourself miserable and sick with worry about something that will never, ever happen in a billion years. It almost sounds like you're trying to make your life more like a story or movie. What do you think?" he finished. I smiled.

He was right. Maybe not entirely, but he was damn near close. I seriously needed to calm down. Of course, I was a little miffed that he didn't react with a little more emotion. But I suppose I could forgive him for that.

And maybe I was bored. And I had always wanted a life like the ones in books and movies. Although now that I think about it, I could do without all the drama and life-risking shit that goes on.

"You win, Dr. Walker." Elijah smiled smugly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I always do."

* * *

"You're actually worried about this, aren't you?" Elijah asked as he painted a smiley face on the top of my foot with my nail polish. I laughed and dipped my brush back into the clear polish.

"A bit, yes. I guess I'm really just worried that Percy and I will end…messily," I confessed, swiping on a top coat over my thumb.

"I can understand that. My first relationship was nerve-wracking, too. Everyone's is, I think. But you've just got to grow a pair and give it a try," he replied. I nodded and screwed the cap back on to my nail polish bottle, setting it on my nightstand and blowing on my nails.

It was silent for a moment until…

"So you kissed Percy to prove you didn't like him?"

"Yep."

"How'd that go?"

"Awful."

"Was he that bad a kisser?"

"No, he was magnificent. But I didn't prove my point and then I went bat-shit crazy on him. That drama crap, you know?"

"Ah. That sucks."

"Yeah. I'm thinking about trying to apologize."

"I wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"He completely massacred a target dummy and kept screaming things like 'stupid girl' and 'crazy as hell'."

"That was probably for me, then?"

"Probably."

"Fuck."

* * *

Elijah stayed with me until night fell. He absolutely refused to cover for me with Chiron, insisting I own up to my, and I quote, "hormonal girly angst and lack of any emotional composure" by myself. Names were exchanged, but he left with a smile on his face and a spring in his step.

I think he was pleased with himself. He was rather good at helping me out of my angst. Almost as good as Dad.

Maybe he was better than Dad. Dad always kicked my foot and told me to suck it up and get back to work.

…

…

…

Yeah, he was better at it than Dad.

"So now all I have to do is figure out how to apologize to Percy for my temporary insanity, get him to ask me out, successfully win him over while fending off all manner of pestering and nosey Olympians and bunnies, and live happily ever after without getting hit by a car," I said out loud as I tucked myself into bed. The butterfly nightlight twinkled in the corner, but then flickered and abruptly went out.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll be able to do it, either."


	8. In Which I Have a Conversation That Lead

Chapter Eight: In Which I Have a Conversation That Leads to a Blissful Make-Out Session

A/N: I just got home from the theater. I went to see Immortals and it was totally AWESOME! It inspired me greatly, but you won't really get to see how until the later chapters. Trust me, it'll be wicked cool.

* * *

I woke up that morning with every intention of walking straight up to Percy and apologizing.

Needless to say that wasn't exactly what happened.

When I made my way over to his cabin I was quite surprised to find that I wasn't the only one drawn to it. Perhaps it was the screaming and crashing coming from inside. Maybe it was the fact that if you squinted at the doorway just right you could make out a lithe figure throwing stuff around and breaking shit that could be broken.

But for me it was definitely because Percy Jackson was having an insane temper tantrum.

Wait…my bad.

That's the same reason everyone else had.

Percy Jackson was having a temper tantrum in his cabin and I had a slight suspicion that it was because of a certain someone I was quite close to. And this certain someone's name began with a 'C' and ended with a 'hris'.

But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was just one of those ridiculous women who thought everything a man did was because of her. Maybe. Just maybe.

But when Elijah ran out of the cabin with his hands thrown up over his head I knew that I wasn't that lucky.

"Fuck you, Jackson! Take it out on her, not me!" Elijah shouted over his shoulder. I narrowed my eyes and shouldered my way through the crowd that had gathered, planting myself right in front of Elijah's trajectory. When he bumped into me and knocked us both down I reached up and grabbed his left ear, digging my fingernails into the flesh and holding tight.

"Ouch! Damn, woman! Let go!" he cried out, flinching and twisting his body in an attempt to get out of my grip. Unfortunately I wasn't strong enough to hold my own against him, so when he managed to pull my hand away I gave him a harsh kick to the shin.

"Thanks for having my back, you insufferable coward!" I hissed. I tried to get another kick in, but Elijah rolled away easily and got to his feet. He ducked down and slid his arms under my shoulders, heaving me up to my feet.

"Yeah, in the face of a child of one of the Big Three I am a massive coward. Now it's time for you to go and soothe the savage beast," he said. I frowned and was about to ask him what the hell he meant when he grabbed my shoulders and began pushing me toward the Poseidon cabin.

"Hell no! Let me go, Elijah! There is no way I'm going in there!" I protested, digging my heels into the ground and pushing back.

But like I said earlier, I am no match for Elijah when it comes to strength. He simply ducked down and slammed his shoulder into the small of my back. I flinched against the pain and shouted out when he wrapped an arm around my waist and lifted me up, carrying me on his shoulder. Because of the way I was positioned, front facing the sky, I couldn't really fight back all that well. My arms and legs couldn't manage to reach back far enough to hit him and my back was screaming in agony.

"Come on, Chris. Your sacrifice will save hundreds of campers' lives."

"I don't care about them! I don't want to!"

"I already told him what you told me. It'll be fine…I think," Elijah said, walking normally like he didn't have a struggling, wailing teenage girl on his shoulder. I felt my jaw slacken and my throat close up.

"You told him? Why would you tell him that? I told you in secret! I trusted you!" I exclaimed. How could he have told Percy what I said last night? That was private! It wasn't meant to be heard by anyone other than me and Elijah! I felt myself begin to panic. Oh, the humiliation!

"Hush, sis. I didn't tell him everything. Just that you were scared about what might happen between you two and that you couldn't quite figure out how you felt about him. And I may have mentioned that you thought he was a phenomenal kisser."

I felt my eyes narrow.

"I didn't say phenomenal. I said magnificent. And that doesn't matter! Why would you tell him how a felt? That's none of his business!" I replied. Elijah finally leaned over and let me slide off his shoulder. I stretched out and winced when my back popped.

"How could it not be his business? It's his possible relationship, too. Besides, I just helped you get over the roughest part of a relationship- confessing how you feel. You two can just skip right over that part now and head right into the kissing and cuddling part. Feel free to thank me with a dozen chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven," Elijah said. And with that he gave me a final push between my shoulder blades and I stumbled through the doorway of Poseidon's cabin.

* * *

My eyes widened and I jumped violently when Elijah slammed the wooden door closed behind me. Looking around the cabin I felt my jaw drop.

It was utter chaos.

The vases that held the aquatic plants had been shattered against the walls, glass and water collecting on the floor beneath the targeted area. The unoccupied bunks had been torn apart, pillows slashed open and mattresses dissected. One bunk bed frame had Riptide lodged in one of its beams.

The fountain even had a table lamp in it.

And then the beast roared.

"What do you want?" Percy barked angrily. I jumped again and spun around to face him. He was breathing heavily and his face was contorted with frustration. When I didn't answer immediately he sighed and threw his hands up, almost as if he were giving up.

"And now you're crazy and mute. What will the gods grace me with next, I wonder?" he exclaimed. I watched as he fell backwards and flopped onto his bed, the only one that hadn't really been disturbed. The pillows were missing and the mattress was slightly angled, but other than that it looked fine. His dresser, however…

"Those are going to be a pain to re-fold," I said offhandedly, stepping over a wrinkled t-shirt and making my way over to Percy slowly and cautiously.

"And now she's talking about clothes! Exactly what I wanted, Aphrodite! Thank you so very much!"

I ignored that last phrase of his and sat down on the bunk across from his. It was further away than before. Judging by the scratch marks on the floor that lined up perfectly with the bed beams, Percy had pushed it away during his fit.

"And silence again. This is perfect."

I looked up from the floor and felt my stomach quiver with butterflies. Percy was staring at me with those beautiful eyes of his, his mouth pressed against his hands fisted hands. He was hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees. From that angle his expression seemed more…intimidating.

Wait a minute.

Who the hell gave him the right to be the only one confused and frustrated? Didn't I feel the same way?

…

…

…

Yeah, I did!

I took a deep breath.

"Okay, my turn."

* * *

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I shouted at him. My reaction seemed to surprise Percy. His eyebrows raised and he straightened his back, hands dropping to his sides.

"So maybe I'm not the greatest person to like! So what? You aren't exactly easy to like, either! You're this great, noble hero guy that everyone in the camp knows. Fuck, they all want to be you! And me? No one wants to be me. Sure, I've got a ton of company when I pull off a spectacular, Capture-the-Flag winning shot, but they're gone at the first sight of someone better. Someone cooler. And sure, I'm pretty pathetic. I've got serious drama issues and I'm pretty sure I'm losing my grip on what's real and what's fiction, but at least I don't go throwing temper tantrums because I find out life isn't as easy as I thought it should be! At least I don't blame the gods for my misfortune!"

Percy continued to stare at me, a slight smirk appearing on his lips.

"Are you done?"

"Am I done? For fuck's sake, no! No, I'm not done! You walk around camp like you own it! I suppose you do deserve a little recognition for defeating Kronos and everything, but do you expect everyone to just fall in line and do what you say because of that? Dude, you're ego might as well be the size of freaking Jupiter!"

Percy stood up and took a step toward me.

"You don't like me because I refuse to do that for you! I'm not about to shower you with praise because of something you did to save innocent people! True heroes do that shit because they want to, not because they want the credit and adoration for it afterwards! And why should I be sorry for not knowing how I feel about you? I'm positive you're a little confused as well. I need time to figure out just what I want to happen between us and you're throwing a temper tantrum because of it! I'm not about to apologize for wanting to understand how I feel!"

I would've continued had it not been for the finger Percy placed against my lips.

"Be quiet for a second, will you?" he asked. I was about to start my tirade again, but decided against it and nodded. Percy removed his finger and smiled. I felt my stomach flutter once again.

"You're right. You aren't the easiest person to like."

I opened my mouth to protest indignantly, but Percy silenced me once again, this time with his entire hand. I considered licking it, but for some reason I didn't think that would bring about the result I wanted.

"Let me finish. You aren't the easiest person to like. And yes, I'm aware that I'm not, either. I understand that we come from different standings on the social spectrum, but should that really be a reason to harbor hostility against me? I've never used my so-called popular status to do anyone harm, have I?"

Percy didn't continue, so I figured the question wasn't rhetorical. I shrugged my shoulders. Percy raised an eyebrow.

"No, I want an answer. Yes or no. Have I ever used my standing to harm or bully anyone?" he asked. His hand was beginning to feel hot against my lips. I took a deep breath through my nose and shook my head. No.

"I didn't think so. Believe me, I'm aware of your drama issues and I know what it's like to wish your life were more like a movie or something. And you can't tell me that you don't throw temper tantrums. Elijah told me about your silent misery-fest yesterday."

I felt my eyes narrow and I crossed my arms over my chest. That dumbass Elijah. Why'd he have to go and tell Percy that? I thought he was trying to help us out!

"I concede that I'm blaming the gods for my misfortune, but can you really say that you don't hold them responsible for some of the shit that happens to us?"

Another non-rhetorical question. I shook my head. No.

"And just so you know, it wasn't really me who defeated Kronos. It was Luke, son of Hermes. I just helped," Percy said. I felt my eyes widen a bit. Now that I had know, but I just never expected Percy to say that. I suppose I had assumed he would take all the credit for himself. This confession was a pleasant surprise. Although he deserved a little more credit for what he did. I would hardly call all his heroics simply helping out. Maybe his ego wasn't so big after all.

"I don't like to think I have a huge ego, but it's entirely possible that I'm blind to that flaw. And yes, maybe I find you a bit irritating because you aren't fawning over me like everyone else, but I also find it refreshing. You are completely right about the definition of hero and that it what I hope to be some day," he continued.

I felt my lips twitch in a small smile. He could be so endearing at times. And I could tell by the sparkle in his eyes that he had felt me smile.

"And I don't blame you for not knowing how you feel. I know I overreacted a bit, but so did you. It's not that I'm angry at you, I'm just frustrated. I'm confused and tired. And I feel the same way you do. I want to understand how I'm feeling right now," he said. Percy pulled his hand away from my mouth, but instead of dropping it to his side he placed it on the side of my face, his thumb resting on my cheek. Percy bent his knees and crouched down in front of me, his other hand on my knee to help him keep his balance.

"There. I'm done. Anything you want to add?" he asked. His thumb brushed back and forth across my cheek. I bit my bottom lip and tried not to smile. The stomach butterflies were working overtime and I just knew my face was starting to flush.

"Yeah, actually," I said softly, my voice a little scratchy. Percy nodded, his expression serious. He really wanted to hear what I had to say. Did that mean he wanted to give this a try?

Don't think. Just do.

"Kiss me."

* * *

For a moment everything was silent. Percy didn't move and I began to feel that I had just ruined everything we had accomplished through our conversation. I could hear my heartbeat thrumming in my ears.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I remained silent and nodded. Percy smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"You aren't going to freak out on me and run away like last time, are you?"

I laughed and shook my head. No, this time I was determined to get the full Percy Jackson kissing experience. If last time was just a sneak peek I couldn't wait for the entire show.

He rose up and touched our foreheads together. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. The feeling of being so close to him was intoxicating. My mind was getting all foggy because of it.

His warm breath fanned over my lips and my own breathing hitched in my throat. Suddenly my equilibrium shifted.

My back hit the mattress and my eyes flew open. Percy climbed onto the bed after me, his knees on either side of my thighs. He placed his hands on either side of my head, trapping me completely.

"Now you can't escape," he teased. I laughed again, this time nervously. I raised my arms up and shyly placed my hands on his shoulders, fisting the blue cotton of his shirt and holding on tightly. Percy lowered his head so that the tips of our noses just barely touched.

"You're sure you won't freak out?" he asked again. I closed my eyes and inhaled shakily.

"Positive," I whispered, the single word causing me to very nearly gasp. Percy came closer so that our lips brushed against each other.

"Good."

And Percy pressed his lips gently against my own.

* * *

My head was spinning crazily. Just like before, Percy parted his lips and angled his head. Like a mirror image, I did the same. I was so eager that my tongue met his own, running against his before retreating. I pulled back a little before returning and sucking on his bottom lip briefly, exhaling and inhaling quickly. Percy did the same and forcibly parted my lips, his tongue teasing mine languidly.

It was then that I felt the warmth of his fingers sneaking under my t-shirt and running along my stomach. My breath caught in my throat and Percy took the opportunity to explore my mouth with renewed vigor.

My mind was so clouded that I acted on instinct. My hands relaxed and let go of his shirt. I trailed my fingertips down along his chest. I ran them over his pectorals before pressing them flat against his stomach. I had always wanted to feel his abs.

Percy bit my bottom lip before pressing a quick, open-mouthed kiss against my mouth and leaving it to trail his lips down along my jaw. My body arched into him as his tongue swept over the skin where my neck and shoulder met.

"Percy," I gasped, slipping my hands up under his shirt and feeling the warmth of his skin without any barriers. Percy let out a hiss and his back arched, pulling his stomach away from my hands.

"Your hands are cold," he whispered. I chuckled and ran my fingertips over his tense abdominal muscles, curling them and allowing my nails to gently scratch them. I felt his muscles quiver and lifted my head, biting his earlobe and effectively distracting him.

"Aphrodite be praised," Percy mumbled under his breath before kissing me hard and pressing his hand flat against my stomach. The fingers of his other hand tangled themselves in my hair and pulled lightly.

I parted my lips and kissed his lower lip, sucking on it once more before nipping at it with my teeth. Percy mimicked my actions exactly and followed them with a dip of his tongue between my lips. He inhaled sharply as I pulled my hands away from his stomach and gripped his upper arms hard, nails digging in as I fought to keep the moan that was building in my throat quiet. A heat began to burn between my legs.

Just as I was about to ask Percy to take off his shirt the door to Poseidon's cabin flew open.

"Cover up anything you don't want me to see, kiddies!" Elijah shouted. Percy and I both turned our heads toward him. He had a hand covering his eyes, the other extended to feel for anything in his way.

I held in my mewl of disappointment as Percy pushed himself off the bed. I covered my face with my hands and groaned into them.

"I hate you, Elijah," I growled. I heard both boys laugh and removed my hands. Percy was looking at me, his eyes glittering happily. He extended a hand toward me.

"Busted. Daddy's home," he joked. I smiled and took his hand, allowing him to pull me up. However, I wasn't expecting him to pull me into his body and wrap his arms around me.

I returned the embrace, my hands circling his waist and tightening. I felt Percy bury his face in the side of my neck. Goosebumps covered my skin and a tingle raced down my spine.

"I want to try this," Percy whispered, his voice only slightly muffled by my hair. I didn't verbally respond, mostly because I knew Percy didn't want Elijah to hear our conversation. I did, however, rest my head against his chest and nod.

I wanted to try it, too.

Percy pulled back and placed a kiss on top of my head before releasing me and playfully pushing me over to Elijah.

"Now go on. Have fun. Raise hell. Do whatever it is you two do," he said. Elijah grabbed my arm and pulled me along behind him as he headed to the door. I looked over my shoulder and smiled at Percy. I just barely managed to wave farewell before Elijah tugged my out the door. I could tell by Percy's parting grin that he was just as excited about this as I was.

-bar-

"So I see my meddling has been well received?" Elijah asked, skipping along beside me as we made our way to breakfast. I smiled. I had never felt this happy before. I was all warm and fluttering and the butterflies in my stomach didn't seem like they were ever going to stop. Not that I wanted them to, mind you.

"Very well received indeed."


	9. In Which I Meet Elijah's Dad And Become

Chapter Nine: In Which I Meet Elijah's Dad And Become Even Worse at Sword Fighting Because I'm Too Busy Focusing on my New Boyfriend to Notice I'm About to be Hit

A/N: Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you all! I hope everyone had a great time. And to all you who don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a great day as well!

A/Nx2: The reviews I received were amazing. Thank you, all. I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter. I was a bit nervous about posting it because I had no idea how the sudden leap into physical contact would be taken. I was trying to convey how I thought a love that was actually destined to be would affect the people involved. And, besides, physically attraction nearly always comes first in a relationship. Also, I wasn't entirely sure I wrote a good make-out scene. So, again, thank you all.

Random Author Talk: I can't seem to get Indigo's "Touch Screen" out of my head. It's so catchy! Now, enough rambling! On to the chapter!

* * *

**-two days later-**

Breakfast started out amazing. Of course, that was because I had the perfect view of Percy who, in turn, had the perfect view of me. But everyone in between our tables knew something had to be going on.

So what do curious teenagers do?

They investigate.

Immediately after I set down my goblet of Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice, the golden bottom of the cup was replaced with a horde of wide-eyed, bated-breath girls.

From Aphrodite's cabin, of course. And guess who was among them?

"Chryseis, all of us were wondering if you would tell us what exactly happened between you and Percy Jackson. The mood and tension between the two of you is much less…hostile," Daphne asked, sitting down opposite me and ignoring the stares of every other camper, including Percy, there. Even Chiron was staring, but I'm sure that was because a daughter of Aphrodite had just sat at the Psyche table, not because he was curious about me and Percy, too.

Or was he?

Regardless of why Chiron was staring, all the attention caused me to choke on my grape as I swallowed. I coughed for several seconds, mostly to try and distract the gossip vultures long enough to come up with a suitable answer.

Why didn't I tell them outright that Percy and I were going to have a try at a relationship?

Firstly, because it was none of their business.

Secondly, because I still wasn't entirely sure Percy wanted to do this, even if he and I had been making faces and smiling at each other from across the dining hall this entire time. And even if he did want to do this, I didn't know if he wanted everyone to know about it. After all, he and Annabeth were thought to be dating.

Thirdly, because there was still a chance that everything would go all to hell, and I didn't want people talking about how they knew Percy would never have dated me anyway.

…

Okay, so I was seriously self-conscious.

As the stares intensified, my face got warmer and warmer. I hated this. I hated it so much.

"Um, well…you see…we…uh…"

"Chris and I are dating now."

Even I snapped my head around to look at Percy in surprise, jaw dropped. Here I had been, having an internal struggle with what I should say and he just sauntered over and told them the truth. His face wasn't red and he didn't seem to be the least bit stressed, In fact, he seemed relaxed about the whole thing!

Percy tapped my shoulder with a finger and I scooted over, making room so that he could sit down beside me. Once he was comfortable, he reached over and plucked a strawberry off my plate, taking a bite of it and casually looking over at our audience with a smile. Under the table, however, his foot was trying to engage mine in a battle of subtlety and entertainment. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, eyebrows raised. He made no sign that he even knew I was looking at him. I bit my bottom lip to keep from smiling and began to fight back, slinking the bottom part of my leg under his and wrapping it around. I glanced at him again. His smile had gotten bigger.

"Chris and I are dating. We just decided a few days ago, actually. Why?" Percy asked. This time he reached over and snatched my goblet, taking a quick swig. He made a face and put it down quickly.

"You don't like it?" I asked. I was surprised at how calm my voice sounded. Almost as if I was used to Percy already. He licked his lips and relaxed his face.

"It's not that, it's just very…tangy," he said. I smiled and picked up my fork, digging into my strawberry Jell-O. Breakfast at the Psyche table tended to be, unusual.

"So you two are, like, dating now?" a girl older than Daphne asked, her blue eyes wide and inquisitive. Percy nodded while I lowered my gaze to my plate, seemingly lost in contemplating the wonders of Jell-O.

"Yeah. Why?" he asked again. Most of the surrounding campers shrugged their shoulders. Some of them even went back to their tables. It seemed, though, that the campers still surrounding the Psyche table wanted answers.

"I thought you and Annabeth were, like, a thing," a son of Aphrodite said. A few others nodded their heads and mumbled their agreements.

"We're friends, guys. Just really good friends," Percy explained. That didn't seem to appease the horde.

"But you're always hanging out with her. You guys kissed once and everything!" another girl exclaimed. I sighed and dropped my fork. Now was the time to claim my place as the girlfriend. If I came off as possessive, oh well. I was getting sick of not being enough for these guys.

"Listen up, guys. Percy and I are dating. That's it. No ifs, no ands, no buts, and no opinions. If you don't like it, too bad. Last time I checked, none of you are our parents. Now beat it before I shoot every single on of you in the ass," I barked, my voice so loud it successfully reached every corner of the dining area.

Just like I suspected, all of our onlookers jumped and turned away, those who had been standing around the table running for their own seats. The only one who remained was Bunny #2. She smiled an odd, dreamy smile.

"You two will be perfect together. Mom and I just know it," she said. And with that, Daphne turned and gracefully floated over to the Hebe cabin's laughing and chattering table to give her boyfriend a peck on the cheek.

I watched as Percy's eyes followed her, his eyebrows furrowed. He turned back to face me.

"Who was that?" he asked, plucking a green grape off its stem and popping it in his mouth. I laughed and picked up my fork once again, slicing off a corner of my Jell-O square.

"Daphne, daughter of Aphrodite. She and my friend Xander are dating. She's the one who-" my throat closed up and my eyes widened as I realized Percy didn't know about the whole him and I having a love that would define our generation. I coughed and brushed my hair behind my ear, a nervous twitch I had.

"She's the one who told Chris that she actually liked you. Basically, she's the whole reason sis tried to prove she felt nothing for you by planting one on you. Aren't you the lucky one, eh, Jackson?" Elijah covered for me as he slid onto the bench across from us. He, like Percy, snatched up a strawberry and began nibbling on it. I cleared my throat and thanked Apollo for Elijah.

"What's with my plate being the Community Breakfast? Get your own! Damn!" I joked, snatching my plate and turning so I could keep it from both boys. All three of us erupted into laughter and the Battle of the Breakfast Plate began.

* * *

Javelin Throwing wasn't too bad. Of course, that was because Percy was helping me out who, in turn, was causing him a whole bunch of pain.

"Damn, I'm so sorry, Percy!" I cried out for what must've been the thirtieth time. I dropped the javelin to free up my hands so I could make sure I hadn't caused any bleeding to the side of Percy's head, but when he hissed in pain again and grabbed his foot I realized I had dropped the heavy javelin on his foot.

"You're a walking disaster, girl!" he managed to choke out as he dropped onto one knee to massage his foot. I knelt down beside him and began to gently sift through his hair, searching for any cuts or bumps.

"To be completely fair, I told you I was horrendous at Javelin Throwing," I said quietly, feeling terrible about the whole thing. I was terrified that he would be angry with me for the rest of the day.

The two of us were quite for a moment and it was then that I realized Percy's shoulders were shaking. I gasped and punched him on the shoulder. He fell over onto his side, revealing his huge grin. He began to laugh.

"You jerk! I felt horrible!" I shouted. When he didn't stop laughing I smacked his thigh a few times and leaned back, crossing my arms over my chest.

Two could play at this game.

"I thought I hurt you," I said before ducking my head down to hide my face in my hands. I began to cry. Loudly.

Percy's laughter died down quickly, followed by, "Oh, shit."

I felt his hands grab my shoulders and shake me.

"I'm sorry, Chris. I was just kidding. You aren't a walking disaster, I promise. I'm not even really hurt. Just a few bruises at the most," he hurriedly said, his voice laced with nervous desperation. I shook my head and began to sob louder.

"Chris, be reasonable! It was just a joke. Calm down, okay? Do you want me to go get Elijah? Where is he?"

Should I stop?

…

Nah.

"I c-can't believe you would d-d-do that t-to me, Percy!" I whined, my voice muffled because of my hands.

"Chris, stop it. Come on, please? I'll make it up to you, I swear. I'll do anything! Just please stop crying!" Percy continued. He removed his hands from my shoulders and his fingers began to pry and pull my hands away from my face. When he managed to get them off, I looked up at him with raised eyebrows and a smile.

"You'll do anything?" I asked. Percy was speechless for a second and when he finally realized I had been pulling his leg his face lit up with a grin.

"You little faker!"

I shrieked as Percy tackled me, grabbing me around my middle and pulling me down to the ground.

* * *

Greek Studies was interesting. Of course, this was because Percy needed help and I, in turn, was helping him. It made me feel useful, actually. He was helping me with the physical stuff, after all. But that boy really needed to study.

"What does this mean?" Percy asked for what seemed like the thousandth time. I rolled my eyes and looked up from my own paper. I had already finished translation of the words and was now trying to weave them together so they could be understood in a modern-day sentence.

"Percy, you'll never get any better if you don't at least try to use the context clues. This is, what, the thousandth time you've had me translate for you?" I asked, leaning over the table and turning his paper to face me.

"What if I told you I knew what it meant, I was just trying to get you to come closer?" he asked. I didn't bother to look up at him and instead began scratching out some of his translations and replacing them with my own.

"I'd say you were full of shit, Mr. Jackson. There, all better. And watch your verb tenses. You're all over the timeline," I said, spinning his paper back around and sitting down in my seat. I hadn't been working more than five minutes before-

"Chris, what does this one mean?"

I sighed and stood up again, leaning over the table and bringing his paper closer. I felt the corners of my mouth pull down in a frown.

"Percy, I've translated this one for you before. It means 'together', remember?" I asked, my eyes running up and down the page looking for errors.

"I remember," he said. I looked up at him and the moment our eyes met, he pressed his lips against mine. It was a quick, chaste kiss and was over before I had a chance to close me eyes. Percy smiled at me and took his paper back, looking over it before glancing back up at me.

"It's just that you look so beautiful when you're thinking," he said. I sat back down in my seat and tried to go back to work, but it didn't matter how badly I wanted to finish the page. My mind couldn't focus anymore. I felt a smile creep onto my lips and blushed when I realized Percy had seen it. He smiled in return and went back to working, not bothering me again for the rest of the lesson. It didn't matter, though. I couldn't stop looking at him.

* * *

Foot Racing gave me a chance to clear my head. I was pretty good at running, so I managed to pull away from most of the other campers and keep a steady pace, all the while gradually disappearing into my mind.

Percy and I had been dating for two days. In two days we had made an enormous leap from frenemies to boyfriend and girlfriend.

That kind of scared me.

It wasn't so much the fact that I was afraid we were moving so fast. It was more along the lines of I was worried it meant the end would come that much sooner.

Yeah, stupid reason, right?

For some reason I was subconsciously putting an expiration date on our relationship. I have no idea why I was, because I was pretty sure I wanted Percy and I to last forever. It was kind of like…I don't know…I guess I felt that somewhere in the back of my mind I knew we had a timeline to follow.

At the beginning of the timeline there was the moment the two of us met when Percy pulled me from Dad's car. A little bit later was the time I met Percy officially and tried to escape from the camp. Now Percy and I were dating and I just knew that at the end of the timeline…at the very end would be the end of our relationship. And it didn't feel like the timeline was all that long.

"And now I'm being dramatic again!" I shouted to myself, turning a corner and jumping over a tree root. Could I ever just be normal for a while?

"You know, it might be a good idea not to ignore your subconscious."

I shouted out in surprise and stumbled, only to be caught at the elbow by the mysterious stranger who had seemed to materialize out of nowhere. The stranger held onto me while I regained my balance.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, resuming my running and looking at the guy through narrowed eyes.

He was rather beautiful, actually. Tall, athletic build, blonde, tan. He had a winning smile, too. In fact, he kind of reminded me of Elijah.

"Never mind, I know," I said, returning my gaze to the front.

"I knew you'd get it. You were always quick on the draw," Apollo said, keeping pace with me. I knew he wouldn't be breathless like I was since he was a god, but I still couldn't help but be amazed by it. And jealous. Oh so jealous.

"So, you graced me with your presence just to tell me not to ignore my subconscious, Lord Apollo?" I questioned. I wouldn't lie, being this close to a god was very distracting, not to mention unnerving. And being close to a very attractive god was even more offsetting.

"Not at all, Chryseis. I came to inform you not to ignore your dreams, not to ignore your subconscious, not to ignore your feelings, and not to underestimate yourself."

"Okay. Why?" I asked. Apollo glanced over at me with raised eyebrows.

"Why? Why did I come to inform you or why shouldn't you ignore all that stuff?" Apollo inquired. I laughed and reached up to brush the stray hairs that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ears.

"Both, actually."

"Ah. Well alright then, Chryseis. I came to inform you because I happen to know your mother," he said. I stopped running and leaned over, holding myself up with my hand resting on my knees. Apollo stopped running as well and came to stand in front of me. He wasn't even sweating.

"You know my mom?" I asked, standing up straight and taking deep breaths.

"Of course. All Olympians know each other."

"Oh. So you don't know her know her, you just know her."

"No, I know her know her."

"You know her know her?

"Yes, I know her know her. Quite well, to be honest."

"How?"

"How do I know her know her?"

"Yes, how do you know her know her."

"We're good friends."

"Olympians have friends?"

"Yes, we have friends! What, do you think we just hang around Olympus and keep to ourselves for all eternity?"

"Well, now that you mention it, yeah."

Apollo closed his eyes and shook his head, hands held up.

"Okay, this is taking way too long. Just shut your pretty little mouth and listen up, okay?" Apollo said. I mimed zipping my lips and stared at him expectantly. Apollo glanced over his shoulder for a moment before looking back at me.

"Me and your mom? We're good friends. That's the only reason I came down here to give you a little advice. Get it?"

I nodded my head, still silent.

"Now, you shouldn't ignore your dreams because they can tell you stuff, right? Things that could or will happen in the future. Like that dream you had on your way to camp, the one where you were underwater. Got it?"

I nodded again and made a mental note to write down all my dreams in a journal, starting with that one.

"You're subconscious is really just instinct. You've got to rely on that to help you out. And if your subconscious seems to be telling you something's gonna happen, it's probably because it knows something you once did, but forgot. Understand?"

I held out a hand and twisted my wrist back and forth in a 'so-so' signal.

"That's good enough. And I'm just telling you not to ignore your feelings because no one ever should. They're important, yeah? So you'd be better off if you just listened to them and accepted them."

Another nod.

"And lastly, don't underestimate yourself. Your mom's been telling me that you've been having trouble with self-acceptance and all that stuff. You shouldn't underestimate yourself, because, if my Oracle is right, you're destined to do some pretty great stuff. And that's including your upstart romance with Percy Jackson."

I felt my brow furrow and opened my mouth to say something. Quicker than lightning, Apollo placed a finger on my lips and silenced me.

"Nope. Nothing from you, girl. Just remember my advice and stop with all the moaning and groaning you've been doing. Get it? Got it? Good. Now I'm off before anyone runs by and sees me."

And before I even had a chance to say goodbye, Apollo the sun god vanished in a burst of light, leaving me alone on the trail.

"Well, that was quite odd. Who just randomly drops in, gives you wierd advice, and leaves?"

* * *

Archery was interesting, just like Greek Studies. Of course, I was helping Percy who, in turn, was being purposefully adorable.

"No, Percy! You've got the arrow positioned wrong!" I cried out, but I was too late. Percy fired the arrow and, instead of going straight like it was supposed to, the arrow flew diagonally and nicked Tristan Jenkins on the arm. I watched as Percy threw the bow down and tried to pretend he hadn't been the culprit. Tristan wasn't buying it. I ran over and picked up the bow, holding it in the same hand as Golden Ray, and waved at Tristan.

"Sorry, Tristan! He's learning!" I shouted out. Tristan's face relaxed when he saw it was me and waved back before returning to the conversation he was having with his fellow Ares brothers.

I sighed and shoved the bow back into Percy's hands.

"You dolt! You had the tail of the arrow on the right side, but the head of the arrow crossed over to the left side. How did you even get it to shoot?" I exclaimed, smacking him on the shoulder and checking the bow to see if it was alright.

"I'm just that good," Percy said, snatching the weapon away from me and pulling another arrow out of his quiver. I grabbed his wrist and prevented him from notching the arrow.

"No, you're just that bad. Now let me help you out," I said, taking the arrow from him and notching it on Golden Ray.

"See how I've got the entire arrow on just one side? And since you're right handed, it needs to be on the right side. Now you just pull the string back, all the while keeping the arrow between your index and middle fingers. You need to aim with both eyes open and…Percy, what are you doing?"

Percy had covered my left hand with his and rested his right hand on my right elbow, the front of his body pressed flat against my back.

"I'm more of a tactile learner," he said. I sighed and took aim at a target several yards away.

"Like I said, aim with both eyes open and make sure your right hand, the one holding the string, is pulled back to your mouth. Breathe in just before you take the shot and exhale right when you release the arrow," I instructed, trying to ignore the fact that Percy had repositioned his left hand to the front of my left hip and that it was causing a tingling sensation between my legs. I inhaled deeply and, just as I was about to shoot, a warm, tickling sensation spread over my left ear. I gasped, which immediately resulted in coughing and accidentally let the arrow go. It shot forward, wobbling as it did so, and landed in the grass about four feet away from the target.

"Percy!" I shouted, elbowing him and struggling out of his grip. He raised his hands and shrugged.

"What? I didn't do anything," he said. I could tell by his devilish smirk that he knew I knew he was lying.

"Bullshit! You totally screwed up my shot!" I continued whining. Percy shook his head and closed the distance between us, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close to his body. He rested his head in the crook of my neck.

"Loosen up a bit, Chris. Everyone knows you're the best non-Apollo archer around. I was just having some fun," he said softly, breath fanning across my collarbone. I felt my skin tingle and shivered.

* * *

Sword Fighting was a disaster. Of course, I was still far too distracted by what had happened in the Archery lesson just a few minutes before which had, in turn, completely left my mind spinning.

I hissed and clutched my side. Elijah, who had just scored a point on me again stuck his sword in the ground in front of him and leaned against it.

"Chris, girl. What's going on? I've never been able to tag you this many times. Are you getting worse at sword fighting?" he asked. I gently rubbed circles into my side and lifted White Honor out in front of me, glaring at it as if this whole thing was its fault. No, I knew who's fault it was.

"It's Percy's fault, damn him. Too fucking cute and perfect. The bastard," I growled, walking in a tight circle and loosening my shoulders and neck.

"Your pathetic sword fighting skills are Percy's fault because he's cute and perfect? Wow, I really don't understand women," Elijah said. I scowled at him before taking up my stance and holding White Honor at the ready. Elijah mirrored me and took the offensive, swiping his sword down at my feet. I jumped to avoid it and brought White Honor down vertically at his shoulder. Elijah spun to avoid this one and, when he did, removed the only thing that was blocking my sight of Percy. Like all the times before I got caught up in looking at my new boyfriend and, a second later, found myself staring up at Elijah from the ground.

"That's it, I'm done! I'm getting worse and worse because I have a boyfriend!" I said angrily, allowing my muscles to relax and staring up into the sky. Elijah dropped down onto the ground beside me and began absentmindedly tapping on his blade. I took the opportunity to study him.

He really did look like Apollo. Almost exactly like Apollo, actually, except for being slightly lighter in complexion and having deep green eyes like his mother's rather than Apollo's bright blue ones. Out of everyone in the Apollo cabin, Elijah looked the most like his dad.

I had heard, though, that Luke Castellan looked like Apollo save for the scar on his face. Maybe it had just been a rumor.

"So let me get this straight. You think that your skills with the sword are Percy's fault?" Elijah asked. I nodded. He snorted and shook his head.

"Well, I'm sure as hell not about to blame myself! Shit, maybe it's your fault, Eli!"

"Don't go blaming this on me, sis. Just lay there in your suckiness and be sucky while I sit here in my awesomeness and be awesome. Get it? Got it? Good."

My head shot up and I looked at Elijah with wide eyes.

"What did you just say?" I asked. He looked momentarily caught off guard before repeating what he said.

"Okay, I heard right. Never mind, then," I said, letting my head fall back onto the ground. Elijah stared at me for a while longer before shrugging and going back to messing around with his sword.

Not only did Elijah look like Apollo, he spoke like him, too.

"Good lord, I hope you don't start talking in haikus."

"What?"


	10. In Which My Newly Awesomeized Camp Life

Chapter Ten: In Which My Newly Awesome-ized Camp Life Becomes Awful Because of a Stupid Prophetic Dream and a Redheaded Oracle Who I Know Only Blabbered at Me Because She Thinks My Boyfriend is Hot and Wants Him for Herself

A/N: I've gotten bored with the camp. Time for the start of the quest. And I must apologize in advance. This chapter isn't all that great. I think it's mostly because I'm trying to get Chris out of the camp as fast as I can. So sorry if it isn't to your liking.

A/Nx2: Powdered crumpets of damnation! It's been nearly, what, three months? I blame work. But, of course, it's mostly my fault. I'm terribly sorry to all of you. Since I realized I hadn't updated in an eternity I set out a tentative schedule for weekly updates. Let's hope I stick to it, yeah?

A/Nx3: I recently found out that Percy has a main character role in The Heroes of Olympus series, which means that I will most certainly be reading it. Can you guess what that means? For any of you who guessed that this fanfiction will have a sequel, you get 5,000 imaginary points!

* * *

It was dark.

Very, very dark.

"Are you sure we're going the right way? Your mom's butterflies scattered hours ago," Grover bleated, his voice quivering with fear. I shook my arm out of his grasp and used its newfound freedom to push a tree limb out of my way.

"Grover, stop shaking. You're not making things any better," Percy hissed at the satyr. Just knowing that I had Percy with me was a relief and the moment I heard his voice the nervous fluttering in my stomach died down a bit.

"Grover, just trust me. I have a feeling this is the way we need to go," I said in an attempt to soothe him. I received a derisive snort in return.

"She has a feeling. Butterfly Girl has a feeling. That's why we're going through the creepy forest of doom-n-gloom. Because Butterfly Girl has a feeling. Well, I certainly feel better about dying. What about you, Percy?"

I let out a defeated sigh and remained silent, choosing not to provoke any more hostility from Grover. I knew it wasn't really me he was angry with. It was dark, cold, wet, and we were all a little scared. And I was pretty sure he still had that empathic link with Percy, so he was probably feeling everything twice over.

"Grover, dude, loosen up. We'll never get back to camp alive if you keep acting like this," Percy said, jumping to my defense. I felt a smile creep to my lips. Percy, despite all the intense fights (and let's not forget the numerous "mini" break-ups) we had, was still undoubtedly loyal to me. I was his girlfriend, after all.

But my blissful moment of thinking about my boyfriend was cut quite short.

"Chris, look out!"

There was a flash of sharp unease and fear that shot its way up from my stomach to my throat. I could taste sour in my mouth.

Before I even had a chance to spin around, eyes wide and voice ready to let loose a blood-curdling scream, I felt something sink into my flesh. I felt it slide into my side, right between a pair of my lower ribs. I gasped for air and felt my muscles tense.

I knew it hurt. It had to have hurt. Being stabbed in the side will definitely hurt a human being. But I was so shocked by the pain that I couldn't really feel it. So shocked, as I looked down and watched the blade withdraw from my body, a wet crimson stain coating it, that I could only think one thing.

"Stabbed."

I felt my knees weaken and buckle and slammed down to the cold, muddy ground. I began to fall forward, but caught myself with my left hand while my right one crossed over my torso and held the bleeding wound.

"Wallowing in the mud, drawing one last, pathetic breath. Such is the death of Chryseis, daughter of Psyche. A pity I couldn't make you suffer more."

I tilted my head and looked up at the figure standing over me. The voice, masculine and light, almost playful in tone, was one I had heard before. However, because of the fog of my panicking mind I couldn't place it.

"Why?" I forced out in a wheezing gasp. I could taste the metallic of blood and began to wonder whether or not a lung had been punctured. The figure laughed and sheathed its sword, not bothering to clean it of the blood. My blood.

"Because you have been doomed to suffer my blade since the moment you were born."

I felt my brows furrow in confusion as the figure disappeared into the shadows.

"Chris! Chris, are you okay?" I heard Percy ask. He knelt in front of me and grabbed my face, holding it between both of his hands and forcing me to look at him. His eyes were so beautiful.

"Grover, she's fading. I can see it in her eyes." Percy's eyes were as blue as an ocean. So very, very blue.

"Percy, check her wound. How deep is it?"

Did Percy dye his eyes that color? Or was he a natural blue?

"Grover, it's bad. Hurry and get over here."

I wonder what the campers back at Halfblood were having for dinner. Maybe four leaf clovers?

"Chris, look at me. Chris, come on. Look at me."

My eyes flickered up to meet Percy's and suddenly I couldn't feel the cold shiver that had been possessing my body anymore. All I could feel was warmth. I reached out with a trembling hand and placed it on his cheek. I smiled, ignoring the warm liquid I could feel trickling out of the corner of my mouth.

"Chris, say something. Please, say anything."

Say something. Say anything.

"Goodbye."

* * *

My eyes shot open and I let out a shout. It took me a moment to realize that I was still in my bed at the camp and that the sheets twisted around my legs were not, in fact, trying to kill me.

"No, I have a shadowy figure for that," I muttered bitterly. I kicked at the sheets, too upset by my dream to untangle myself from the sheets calmly like an adult. As soon as both feet were free I slid out of the bed and began pacing the entire length of my cabin. For once in my life I wanted nothing but to burn those stupid, shimmering rugs. And then I got really angry.

Turning my face up to the ceiling of the cabin, I began to scream.

"WERE YOU JUST GOING TO LET ME DIE, MOM? JUST GOING TO LET SOME CREEPY GUY RIP MY INNARDS TO SHREDS AND WATCH AS I BLED TO DEATH IN PERCY'S ARMS? DO I MEAN THAT LITTLE TO YOU, MOM? SHOULD I EVEN BOTHER CALLING YOU THAT ANYMORE?"

Hell, she was a goddess! Shouldn't she be able to stop this from happening? Didn't she care about me at all? Why did I even have to die? She had the power to prevent this!

"Zeus's boxers, what's gotten you all spun in a knot?"

I whirled around and felt nothing but blind rage as I glared at my best friend. My carefree best friend with at least sixty more years to live. Without thinking, I ducked down and snatched up a flower-shaped rug that seemed content in its non-life to just twinkle stupidly and hurled it at Elijah's head.

"GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!" I shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at the door.

"Damn it to Hades, I'm going, I'm going!" he cried out after deflecting the rug, hands raised in front of him as a sign of submission. I stared after him, quietly seething, until he slid the stone door shut behind him. When I was sure he was gone I resumed my tantrum.

"FUCK ME, I HAD NOT IDEA I WAS DESTINED TO DIE IN AGONY! BEING A FUCKING DEMIGOD SURE IS FUN, MOM! THANKS A BUNCH!" I screeched, able to infuse sarcasm into my tone even at the shrill volume I was using.

I glanced around the room wildly, looking for something to let out my rage tactilely. My eyes landed on the bookcase in the middle of the cabin first.

I rushed over to it and grabbed the sides.

"IF I'M JUST GOING TO DIE I GUESS I HAVE NO NEED OF SUCH MATERIAL THINGS, EH?"

I threw all of my strength at the bookcase and sent it toppling over. As an added bonus, it fell right onto the glass table and smashed it. I reached down and grabbed a very heavy old volume that I knew was the English dictionary. A shard of glass I hadn't seen cut into the delicate webbing between my middle and ring fingers of my right hand.

Turning around once more my eyes landed on one of the cabin windows. Currently I could see a raging hurricane playing across the glass. Suddenly a splatter of deep scarlet splashed across the window. The never-before-seen sight caused my whole body to jump and tingle in shock.

It was blood.

For a moment I remembered my dream. The vivid detail, the sense of dreadful acceptance. In the few months I had stayed at Camp Halfblood, never before had I encountered another demigod with as many prophetic dreams as I had. They were never as frequent, nor as vivid as my own.

"Why?" I heard myself whisper. I could faintly taste the copper of blood on the back of my tongue. I got no reply from my mother. No reply from anyone.

"WHY? IT'S NOT FAIR! WHY ME?" I screamed. I reeled back my arm and flung the hardcover dictionary as hard as I could at the window. I felt the muscles in my shoulders strain and pull. The book broke through the glass and destroyed the bloody image. But it did nothing about the other eleven crimson-stained windows.

Right before my eyes the shattered pieces of glass flew back up and mended themselves together, fitting back into the window pane perfectly. I spun on my heel. The coffee table was repaired as well, magazines stacked neatly in the upper right corner. The bookcase had returned to its upright position, each and every book replaced neatly in its place. The dictionary sat comfortably as the very first book on the very top shelf.

And finally I felt the first tear fall.

I stumbled over to the darkened corner beside my bed and fell back against the wall before sliding down it and curling up on the floor.

I let the tears fall.

* * *

**Elijah's POV-**

I jumped as a book broke through one of Chris's windows. Not five seconds later, however, the book vanished and the glass flew back into place. Psyche must've been trying to calm her daughter.

"Good luck with that, Psyche," I muttered. I knew how Chris could be when she got upset. She was the biggest drama queen I had ever set eyes on. Who knew what set her off this time?

Obviously Psyche did.

I stared at the cabin and felt my spirits dampen into a state of depression. How useful was I if I couldn't even comfort a friend in need? And it didn't help that her mother locked me out of the cabin. I had tried getting back in, but the door vanished completely, the seams melting into the stone wall.

The gods were so conceited at times, believing they could fix everything by themselves.

My shoulders sagged and I leaned my head back, hitting it against the tree trunk I was leaning against.

The Psyche cabin walls were swirling with black. Every now and then a blue or red would take precedence. I could only guess that meant Psyche was feeling conflicted.

"Just like your daughter. Maybe you should try focusing on her and not yourself, yeah?" I said. As expected, the cabin flashed an angry, but brilliant, shade of glowing scarlet before returning to black.

Several shouts from all remaining passing campers rose and they scattered, evacuating the premises before Psyche could blow them up or whatever they thought she would do. I couldn't blame them. Even I was uneasy standing this close to it. All the smart ones steered clear of the area the moment the walls started swirling black.

"I'm just saying," I said. Again, another flash of red. This time, however, the sunflowers surrounding the cabin turned an ugly, mottled green and drooped to the ground. I felt angry suddenly. I knew her daughter better than anyone and she still thought too much of herself to listen to me.

"I really don't give a shit that you don't want to hear what I've got to say, I'm going to say it anyway. You gods are all the same. Everything's about you first. Only after you've been made content will you even bother to take your children's wellbeing into consideration. Your daughter is suffering and all you can think about is how you're feeling," I said, louder and harsher this time.

There was a shrill shriek, almost like a dying banshee, and all the butterflies fluttering around the cabin burst into flames. Black ash, the only remainder of the insects, were tossed about in the breeze. I folded my arms over my chest and sat down at the base of the tree, crossing my legs and staring at the cabin.

"I'm not leaving until I see her."

A low rumble that seemed to come from below the cabin roared.

"I'm not leaving until I see her."

I sharp hiss sounded and the wind around me picked up, blowing viciously.

"I'm not leaving until I see her."

Finally there was no response. I sighed and hung my head.

"So maybe the walls are only shifting colors because you're feeling Chris's pain. Maybe I'm just a little on edge because my best friend is throwing a fit and I don't know why. I guess I judged you without knowing everything. I'm sorry, okay? My experience with gods hasn't been very good. But just so you know, I'm still not leaving until I see her."

A bright pink butterfly flew over to me and landed on my shoulder. Its wings fluttered up and down.

"Glad we have an accord."

* * *

**Percy's POV-**

Chris wasn't at breakfast that morning.

Neither, for that matter, was Elijah.

I got up from the table and left the dining cabin, dropping my plates off in the cart by the door as I went.

Psyche's cabin was pretty far from the dining cabin. It was a newer addition made almost especially for Chris and there wasn't room near the front of the cabin area.

I began to feel uneasy, almost as if there was something really wrong.

I began to run.

* * *

**Elijah's POV-**

I let out a sigh of relief and stood up, brushing the dirt off my pants and stretching. The door to Psyche's cabin had finally opened about an hour after Chris's tantrum.

"I can go in, right?" I asked out loud. The walls of the cabin turned a docile forest green.

"I'll take that as a yes, yeah?"

The sunflowers around the cabin slowly straightened up and regained their color. Butterflies suddenly appeared and began fluttering around like usual. I smiled and began to walk toward the door.

* * *

**Chris's POV-**

I wiped the remainder of my tears off my cheeks and smiled up at my mom.

"Sorry about the yelling and everything. I didn't really mean it," I said. Psyche, in all her beautiful glory, smiled understandingly.

"I know, sweetheart. I know. Just remember what I told you." I nodded and brushed the hair that had fallen in my face back behind my ears. Psyche raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, now. I want to hear you say it. Your father has this awful habit of saying he heard something when he was really thinking about something else entirely the whole time. Go on, now," Psyche said. I laughed. I knew exactly what she meant when she talked about dad. He was always thinking about something else when you tried to have a serious conversation with him. I took a deep breath and began repeating what Psyche had told me.

"What I had was a prophetic dream. I didn't see the whole thing, so I can't be sure that this is actually my death. Besides, I have other prophecies to complete, so it is unlikely that this dream was a dream of my death. In fact, it was most likely an obstacle I have to overcome, an experience I need to have before completing a prophecy. And in no way am I unimportant to you. You're my mother and, as such, you love me unconditionally. You do not want to see me in pain, but there are things I must do and overcome in order to become the person I am destined to be. I have nothing to fear from this dream other than the fear of future pain and tribulation. I need to suck it up and deal with it," I said, taking a deep breath after finishing the long statement. Psyche narrowed her eyes.

"I didn't say that last bit," she said accusatorily. I laughed and winked.

"That was a little of Dad's wisdom. I figured he should be represented in this lecture," I replied. Psyche smiled warmly and raised her hand in farewell.

"Tell your friends the truth, darling. Don't keep them in the dark about this. They'll be able to help."

I nodded and closed my eyes as my mom disappeared from the cabin in a bright pink flash of light.

Before I had the chance to blink away the multi-colored dots I heard two voices calling my name from the doorway.

Percy and Elijah had come to see me.

* * *

Their eyes were wide and their jaws were dropped.

"Please tell me you're kidding," Elijah said, his voice low. He had pulled my vanity stool over and was sitting on it beside my bed, elbows resting on his knees. I shook my head.

"I wish I was," I responded. I turned to look at Percy, who had reached over and took hold of my hand a few minutes earlier. He was sitting across from me on my bed.

"And what did Psyche say?" Elijah continued. I smiled and looked over at him.

"She told me that you were quite the spitfire," I mentioned. Elijah nodded, a wolfish grin appearing on his face.

"Well I wasn't about to leave my sis all by her lonesome, was I? If I couldn't help you I sure as hell was going to make somebody help in my stead. It just happened to be your mom." I smiled and turned my gaze to mine and Percy's interlocked hands.

"Yeah. She said I was awfully lucky to have you as a friend. You know she only left because she knew that Percy was coming and that the two of you would be more than she was willing to deal with at the time? She said something about not being able to listen to two shouting boys banging at the walls."

Both boys snickered.

"But seriously, Chris. What did your mom say?" Percy asked, squeezing my hand. I took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.

"She said that I wasn't going to die. I couldn't. Not yet. She said something about it being an obstacle. An experience I needed to have."

* * *

**-one week later-**

I hadn't dwelled on my dream much after telling Percy and Elijah all about it. Somehow knowing that they knew was comforting. Hell, knowing that I wouldn't die was a huge comfort. And a little part of me was positive that my mom telling me all this was against one of the many Olympian laws involving contact with mortals and offspring.

This in itself was enough to make me realize that she really did care about me.

As Elijah and I faced each other, swords at the ready, I began to feel a little more comfortable. Surely nothing else bad could happen, right? Nothing that could be any worse than the whole ordeal with my stupid prophetic dreams.

The only interesting thing that had happened was the discovery that maybe my tragic flaw wasn't curiosity after all. Maybe it was, in fact, being dramatic. That seemed more likely since Elijah had bought me a present for my birthday and I hadn't felt the need to tear through his cabin to find out what it was.

Then again, Psyche's curiosity wasn't too dynamic. It was more subtle.

"YEOWCH! Thinking be damned!" I shouted, shaking my hand out and blowing on the knuckles every few seconds. Elijah chuckled loudly and swung his sword around before lazily drawing in the dirt with the point.

"You know, some people try to pay attention during a sword fight," Percy said as he strolled over to us. His partner was sick of being beaten, so he had given up already. Percy leaned over and dragged the tip of Riptide through Elijah's cartoonish drawing of himself standing victoriously on a mountain of defeated soldiers.

Just then I realized there was a dull roar all around us. The sound of several people muttering under their breaths. I looked up and all around. Sure enough, campers were huddled in groups, pointing and whispering to each other.

"Eli. Percy. What's going on?" I whispered. The two stopped joking around with each other and looked at me, confusion on their faces. And then they, too, noticed it.

Before I could ask what was going on for the second time, the crowd of campers parted.

"Rachel," Percy said. I knew who he spoke of. The red-headed girl who was the camp's new Oracle. I hadn't ever seen her before, but I knew enough about her from Elijah's stories.

Rachel walked through the crowd of campers, almost as if she were in a daze. And then, with a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, I noticed her trajectory.

"Oh, gods, don't let it be me," I prayed quietly. I repeated the prayer over and over, sometimes under my breath and other times in my head.

To be honest, I didn't fear going on a quest. I feared what would happen on the quest. In particular, the possibility of being run through by some shadowy, faceless figure. And so I continued to pray, hoping beyond hope that I would get a few more months of living before being subjected to the prophetic dreams turned to reality.

But when have I ever been lucky?

The ginger stopped right in front of me, her green eyes glazed over. When she opened her mouth I had half and mind to rip off my sock and stuff it down her throat.

She took a gasping, raspy breath and began.

_An artifact lost by the arguing heirs_

_Sought by a child with dangerous cares_

_The goddess of night turned to goddess of soul_

_Her daughter to play a significant role_

_Three dangers she'll face by the solstice of June_

_Two allies she'll take by the guidance of moon_

_Though one ally yields to the mockery king_

_Another to follow the forests will bring_

_A relic recovered just short of day's call_

_And balance restored by the Golden One's fall_

I watched in silent disbelief as Rachel the Oracle fell to he ground. Percy and Elijah rushed forward to help her as did many other campers. I, however, did not. All I could think about was the prophecy she had just spoken which I had somehow managed to memorize after hearing it only once.

An artifact lost.

Sought by someone dangerous.

Goddess of night, Nyx, turned to goddess of soul, Psyche.

Me playing a significant role.

Three dangers I would face before the June Solstice. When was that, anyway?

I'll bring two people with me and we'll embark at nightfall.

One of them will yield to mockery? What?

But I'll get another ally in a forest. Or something like that.

I'll recover a relic at twilight or sometime near then.

And then the Golden One will fall and everything will be alright.

Wait.

Golden One?

Kronos? No, he was already gone.

But that means…the only other "Golden One" I know is…

"Me."


	11. In Which I Begin My Quest While Simultan

Chapter Eleven: In Which I Begin My Quest While Simultaneously Trying to Figure Out What the Stupid Prophecy Means/In Which I Struggle With Riddles and Rhymes

* * *

I hadn't told anyone that I was really concerned about the prophecy. For all they knew I was excited to be going on my very first quest. They didn't know what I knew. They didn't know what the prophecy meant.

Then again, I didn't, either. Not really. I had spent the better half of the following day sitting on my bed and repeating the prophecy over and over in my head. I didn't have much by lunchtime.

_An artifact lost by the arguing heirs_

Somewhere there was a very valuable object that had been lost because a bunch of siblings were arguing over who got it. That probably meant the artifact belonged to the Olympian parent of all of them. Only problem was Olympians were a horny bunch. They had, like, fifty kids each.

_Sought by a child with dangerous cares_

One of the children was searching for it. And apparently he wasn't nice. I couldn't imagine he would want to do nice things with the artifact, either.

_The goddess of night turned to goddess of soul_

This one was easy. The goddess of night, Nyx, is asking the goddess of the soul, Psyche, for help.

_Her daughter to play a significant role_

I assumed this line was about me. After all, the prophecy was given to me. I suppose one of Nyx's daughters could play a significant role, too. This line could go either way, really.

_Three dangers she'll face by the solstice of June_

If the previous line is about me, that means I'll have three dangerous things to overcome before the solstice of June. I asked around and none of the campers I went to knew when it was, but a quick stop to the Athena cabin and not only was I told that the solstice of June was on June 21st, but I also learned that it happened at 11:28 a.m. and that it was also known as the Northern Solstice, the Summer Solstice, and the First Point of Cancer. Fascinating.

_Two allies she'll take by the guidance of moon_

I'm still guessing this means I'll take two other people along with me and that we'll leave at night. Either that or Artemis takes us on a tour. I'm really getting tired of this riddle shit.

_Though one ally yields to the mockery king_

I'll lose one of my buddies to some asshole. I'm guessing it's a god, but it could be a creature, too. Either way I'm losing someone.

_Another to follow the forests will bring_

But my group is brought back up to three because someone comes to join us remaining two. I don't know if this one means that we'll be in a forest when he or she stops by or if they are some how related to nature. Maybe both? Has any good come out of trying to figure out what a prophecy meant before it happened, because this crap is giving me a headache?

_A relic recovered just short of day's call_

I'm hoping the relic is the same artifact that was lost by the bickering kids. That means Mr. "Dangerous Cares" can't use it to be dangerous. And I guess we find it a little bit before the sunrise. Or maybe that means before 12:00 a.m.?

And this next line here is my favorite.

_And balance restored by the Golden One's fall_

Kronos is already dust, so I ran through a bunch of other "Golden Ones." I came up with one. Me. I suppose it could be talking about Golden Ray, in which case I'm upset for my poor bow, but I highly doubt it, so I'm saving my pity party favors for me. But it could always be one of those literal translations. You know, my balance is restored after I trip and fall on a twig or something.

…Again, I highly doubt it. And I really hate to think that this is what Psyche meant when she said I had other things to do before I could die.

Being a demigod sucks.

* * *

I didn't eat lunch by myself that day.

By the time I had given thanks to my mom and a few other gods I felt deserved a little extra gratitude, my table was surrounded by a crowd of chattering teens. I had to elbow my way through them just so I could sit down, all the while trying to balance my plate and protect my food.

"Okay, really? Move out of my way already!" I shouted as I received an elbow to the ribs and had my toes crushed mercilessly. A hand closed around my wrist and tugged me through a gap that was almost immediately filled the moment I passed through.

Elijah pulled me onto the bench at my table where he, Percy, Grover the satyr, Bunny 1 and Bunny 2, and Annabeth were sitting.

"My table's never been this popular before," I said, more to myself than my guests. Percy grinned wide and immediately snatched my goblet up, sipping the Sparkling Grape Juice inside. I'll admit I found it hilarious when he did so. The tart taste was always a shock to him and his face contorted into some of the funniest expressions I've ever seen.

"Everyone's here for a chance to go with you. They want in on the quest," Annabeth said, answering the silent question that went with my previous statement: Why were they all here?

"Oh. I didn't realize I got to pick," I said, impaling the slab of roast beef on my plate with my fork and sawing at it with my knife.

"Some prophecies have included guidelines about who has to go, but yours didn't. Not really, at least. The only thing seems to be that you get to choose two people to go along with you," Grover, Percy's satyr friend, spoke up. I gnawed at a square of roast and remained silent.

"All these guys want you to pick them. You see, not everyone gets a quest and some of these campers have been waiting forever for the chance to prove themselves. They're hoping you'll be their chance," Elijah added. He plucked a grape off my plate and bit into it, sending droplets of grape juice all over the table in front of him.

"Not to be rude or anything, but why would I choose them? I hardly know any of them. I'd rather go with people I know and trust," I said. A few of the surrounding campers eventually left, returning to their seats and resuming their dinner. I figured they didn't really want to come on the quest with me, but they felt they needed to at least look like they wanted to. You know, keeping up appearances and all that.

"They'll be expecting you to choose, you know. Tonight. Before dinner ends. Chiron will probably even come over here and ask who your choices are," Percy said. I felt my cheeks warm as his foot found mine and attempted to engage it in a fierce game of Footsie.

"But how am I supposed to pick? Eenie-Meanie-Minie-Mo? Close my eyes and point? And what if the people I want to come with me don't want to? Is there, like, some sort of unspoken rule that you have to go if you're chosen. Because if that's the case I don't want to force someone into it," I said. I glanced down at my nearly full dinner plate and suddenly felt sick. I hated being nervous.

"No one's going to turn you down. At least, no one you'd be likely to pick. You have a very loyal and supportive group of acquaintances, I've noticed. They'll not likely be willing to let you down," Bunny 2, Daphne, told me. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"So you'd come with me?" I asked. Truth be told I didn't want to take Daphne. She looked like a slight breeze could knock her flat on her back. Not to mention she was a daughter of Aphrodite. They aren't really well known for being strong warriors. All the same, Daphne smiled.

"Of course, if you asked me. I would go on the quest with you," she answered. I felt momentarily stunned. Daphne and I hadn't known each other very long. In fact, we hadn't really talked since we were first introduced except for the occasional love prophecy she spouted out about me and Percy. I had underestimated the little bunny.

"I'd go with you, too!" Xander exclaimed, his smile so huge that it nearly ate his whole face. I laughed and tossed a grape at him. It hit him square in the nose.

For the rest of dinner my table was full of chatter and laughing. It was the first time I truly felt like I belonged.

* * *

One by one the tables filed out of the dining cabin. I stood to follow my group when Chiron called out to me.

"Chris, please stay behind for a moment," he said. I felt the butterflies in my stomach act up and gave a weary wave to my friends. Percy and Elijah seemed like they didn't want to leave me, but I winked and told them I'd be fine. When they left I turned to face Chiron.

"Have you decided on your quest companions?" he asked. I nodded, then shook my head. Chiron raised an eyebrow and I sighed, momentarily exhausted from all the thinking I had done during dinner.

"Sort of. I'm still not entirely certain," I answered. Chiron nodded understandingly before placing a hand on my shoulder.

"It's alright to be afraid. This is, after all, your first quest."

I nodded, but I couldn't manage to force my expression to be calm. I was worried and I knew I didn't hide it well.

"Might I offer some guidance?" Chiron offered. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, please! It'd help me out a ton, I'm sure," I said. Chiron smiled softly.

"It is wise to weigh your own strengths and weaknesses before any other potential companion. To know where you succeed and fail. That is the first step you should take."

I was spot on with the bow and arrow, good at running and dodging, and decently smart as well. Terrible with throwing and not great with the sword. I was bad at climbing, too.

"Next, take into consideration the task at hand. Know what you must face and decide what you will need in order to do so."

That was easy. I was facing a whole helluva evil. I furrowed my brow and looked up at Chiron. Just as I opened my mouth he elaborated.

"What I mean to say is, think about the abilities your group should have. The abilities you'd want to have with you during the quest. Can you tell me a few?"

Chiron really was a good teacher. He'd make a great sage.

"I suppose I'd want someone with experience. Someone who has done a quest before. And I want someone skilled. Someone who's good at a lot of things," I listed, mentally checking off the talents I called.

"Good. And?"

"Someone smart. Someone who can think fast. And someone who's strong. Strength goes a long way."

Chiron nodded. It seemed like I had made good preliminary decisions.

"Now the only thing left for you to do is to find two other campers with those skills. And don't forget to add your own abilities into the equation."

Chiron said his last sentence with such finality that I took it to mean the conversation and advice was done. I turned away and began heading back to my cabin.

"Oh, and Chris?" Chiron called. I looked over my shoulder at the centaur who had first brought me to Camp Halfblood. The man/horse who had been fast enough to save my life.

"I expect to find three empty beds when the sun rises tomorrow."

* * *

I creeped between the cabins in the darkness. Every now and then I would look up at the moon and recite the line that referred to the beginning of the quest out loud in a whisper.

"_Two allies she'll take by the guidance of moon."_

I readjusted my knapsack and Golden Ray on my shoulder and jogged over to the door of the cabin. I pushed at the door and flinched as it creaked open. I had every intention of being as silent as possible and tip-toed into the pitch black cabin. I gently eased the door shut behind me and rested my forehead on the cool wood, taking a few shallow breaths to calm my nerves.

"I was wondering when you'd show up."

I let out a shrill scream and felt my stomach jump and my skin tingle. I spun around and threw myself against the door, arms spread out flat against the wood and heart beating faster.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Percy said, standing from his bed and lifting a bag up from the floor. He swung it over his shoulder and crossed the room, stopping in front of me. I could just barely make out his facial features. Instantly the butterflies were calmed.

Percy leaned in close and pressed his lips against my cheek.

"Let's go get number three."

* * *

I slipped into the Apollo cabin and immediately snuck over to Elijah's bunk bed. He, unlike Percy, was snoring away. I smiled and felt a twinge of guilt as I placed an envelope with his name written on the outside on his chest.

"I'm sorry, Eli."

As quickly and quietly as I came, I left the Apollo cabin without my best friend.

* * *

"Ares cabin, dead ahead," Percy whispered over to me. He had insisted that no one cared if we were walking around at night in order to prepare for a quest, but I thought it would be cooler and more movie-esque if we were simply gone the next morning and no one knew we had left.

Percy stood by the door as I went inside. The bunk beds all looked poorly constructed and, considering how much some of the Ares kids weighed, I was surprised they didn't break and collapse. I crept through the rows of bunks, looking for the familiar face. Finally, in the very last row, sprawled out on the bottom bunk, was the guy I was looking for. I knelt down at the head of the bed and poked him in the ear. Percy had told me to be very careful when waking an Ares kid. Apparently they were violent in and out of sleep.

When he didn't respond to my first poke I reached over and shook his shoulder. Immediately his hand shot up and grabbed my wrist, holding it so tight I swear I could feel my bones rubbing against each other. He pulled me over to the very side of his bed and twisted my arm around my neck. It took every nerve in my body not to shout out and wake up the entire cabin.

"Move and I'll rip out your eyes," his deep, surprisingly velvety voice hissed in my ear. I struggled to breathe, my wind tunnel close to caving in from the pressure he was forcing my own arm to exert, and fought my every instinct to try and escape his death grip.

"Tristan,… it's me. It's…Chris," I coughed out. I was immediately released and I fell forward, catching myself with my hands and taking in breath after breath.

"Sorry, girl. You should've said something earlier," Tristan Jenkins said, rolling out of his bed and standing up. I followed suit, Tristan assisting me by grabbing my upper arms and hoisting me to my feet. He really was massive. At least 6'2", 210 lbs.

"So, what brings you to good 'ole Cabin Ares?" he asked, stretching his arms over his head. It took all my willpower to turn away from his amazingly muscular arms and chest. Damn, this guy was built.

"How would you like to join me on my first quest?"

* * *

"Hey, Jackson, what's up!" Tristan greeted Percy, clapping him on the shoulder. Percy returned the gesture, answering our new quest companion while I pulled out the map I had found sitting on my vanity table. It led to a temple of Nyx, who I assumed was the one who would be officially assigning us our task. I caught up to the two boys and immediately took charge. It was, after all, my quest.

"Alright, boys, we're heading south. Straight to the Southern Night Temple and out of Camp Halfblood. Now, who's ready for some adventure?"

* * *

**No POV-**

The camp was fully awake, demigods rushing to their morning activities. However, the only thing that was really on anyone's mind was what had been discovered when the sun rose.

Three campers. Vanished.


	12. In Which Elijah Reads the Letter

Chapter Twelve: In Which Elijah Reads the Letter

* * *

_Dear Eli,_

_I'm really sorry you had to find out this way. I know I should've told you in person that I wasn't going to take you, but you and I both know I never was Gryffindor material._

_So, I suppose you'll want to know why I didn't take you, right? And you'll definitely want to know who I'm taking instead. I'll start with that._

_I'm taking Percy and Tristan Jenkins. Yeah, I know, I'm terrible. Choosing my boyfriend over my best friend? How awful! But I'll explain why later. And let's be honest, who wouldn't want an Ares kid on their side? Tristan's a good guy. He'll look after me. Of course, you already know that. You guys are friends._

_So, I'm not taking you._

_This is my first quest. The first chance I'll have to prove what I can do to the camp. But even more important, it's a chance to prove to myself that I'm strong all on my own._

_I rely on you too much, Eli. You and I both know that. Now's my chance to stand on my own…for the most part. Now's my chance to show myself what I can do without by best friend there to help me up if I fall._

_I can do this, Eli. I know I can. Just have faith in me and send a few extra prayers my way._

_I love you Eli and I promise I'll take you on the next quest I get. Pinky swear._

_All My Love,_

_Chris _

_P.S. If I get back to camp and find out you've been setting up revenge pranks I'll have Swifthawk eat you pillow. And you know Swifthawk has a bigger appetite than Blackjack!_


	13. In Which Elijah Goes Through the Motions

Chapter Thirteen: In Which Elijah Goes Through the Motions

A/N: I had a reviewer who mentioned that she had a bit of a crush on Elijah, so I got to thinking why not write a little chapter for Elijah? I couldn't really figure out a good place to put the chapter, but I finally decided on writing it after Chris leaves Camp Halfblood. This gives me a chance to explore Elijah's side of the relationship. So, PenInTow and any other Elijah fangirls out there, this one's for you.

* * *

**Elijah's POV-**

I was going through the motions.

Nothing really seemed to matter much anymore.

It wasn't that I had turned emo. No, it would take a little more than an absent best friend to sink me into a crippling depression. Rather, the day seemed a little less bright without her there. The hours seemed slower and the laughter seemed softer. Nothing was right. Everything was just…there. It had no appeal anymore.

Chris could make anything seem fun and interesting. All she had to do was point to, say, a tree and start babbling about how funny it would be to host a wrestling match between an Ent and the Whomping Willow.

Without her Camp Halfblood just seemed boring.

I had plenty of friends I could talk to and several activities I could take part in to keep myself busy, but at the end of the day I still went back to my cabin and marked an 'X' through another day on the calendar. One more day closer to when she would come back.

I guess my sadness was partially because of the fact that I had recently discovered that I hated to see her and Percy together. I hated to see him touching her, to see him kissing her and playing with her hair. I hated to see him tell her a joke and watch as her face lit up.

No, it wasn't because I was in love with her. I loved her, yes, but in no greater way than a sibling. She was my baby sister and he…he was taking her away.

Before Chris came to the camp I was happy. But when she got here…when she finally got here I was happier than ever. It was like she was the one thing I needed to make myself complete, to make myself a better person.

And now she was writing me a letter telling me that she needed to go her own way. She needed to stand on her own without me.

I suppose the older brother never expects his little sister to surpass him in maturity. And when it happens….man, it really spins you for a loop.

Chris had given me a wake-up call. Sure, she thought I was cool, confident Eli. I had everything figured out and it was her that needed to grow up. But, to be honest, I always relied on her.

She made me feel like I was important. Sure, other campers looked up to me because I was amazing, but she looked up to me because, to her, I knew it all. I had done it all, seen it all, and handled it all.

But I hadn't.

I suppose there comes a time in every man's life when he realizes that maybe, just maybe, his baby sister figured it out before him.

That's what she did, after all.

She figured it out before me. She figured out that eventually she'd have to stand on her own. She figured out that I won't always be there. That she'll have to look out for herself and know that she can do it on her own.

And now I suppose it's time for me to figure out the same.

Sure, without Chris life was pretty boring, but I guess that was just one of the obstacles I'd have to overcome. I'd have to make it fun and interesting for myself. I couldn't rely on her for the rest of my life.

It was time to grow up and stand on my own.

But I will, of course, be getting back at her for leaving me behind. Maybe a good old fashioned morning water balloon wake-up call?


	14. In Which I Meet My First Critic and Lear

Chapter Fourteen: In Which I Meet My First Critic and Learn That When it Comes to Sharing Beds It's the Boyfriend and Girlfriend Who Bunk Together

A/N: I'm waiting for _The Mark of Athena_. Just waiting. Surely all of you know how maddeningly stressful it is to wait for the next book of a series. And in that vein, I'm awfully sorry I made you wait for this chapter!

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Everything is definitely out of whack. I was reading _The Son of Neptune_ and I realized that my fanfiction's timeline doesn't follow the story's timeline, nor will it eventually meet up with the sequel series' timeline. Oops. I guess that's why they call it fanfiction, right? Just try not to think about it too much, okay?

* * *

The Southern Night Temple was in Broussard, Louisiana.

Broussard, Louisiana was a long way from Camp Half-Blood.

A long, long, long, long way. Made all the longer by our selected method of traveling.

None of us had thought to hijack some pegasi from the stables before we left. I, personally, blamed Annabeth. Why?

Because her hug with Percy lasted more than ten seconds.

Oh yes, I was becoming the jealous girlfriend. Wouldn't you if your super hot boyfriend's pretty ex-girlfriend who was way smarter than you was all up on your beau? I knew Percy and Annabeth had dated. Hell, they had a "magical moment" under the lake after Kronos was defeated. Why shouldn't they still have feelings for each other?

I'll tell you why.

Because Percy was my boyfriend now. Mine. Not Annabeth's. I should be the only one within touching distance of him.

I sighed and let my head drop, hitting my forehead on the back of the seat in front of me.

The three of us were all crammed together on a bus. A bus! A smelly, germy, crowded bus!

I was hot and sticky with sweat, strands of my hair sticking to my forehead and the sides of my face. After allowing myself the short reprieve of the cool leather covering of the bus seat on my forehead I tilted my head back up and turned to look out the window.

We had hopped on this bus somewhere in the middle of Mississippi. Broussard was all the way at the bottom of Louisiana. We had been traveling nearly non-stop for almost two days now.

It took all my strength not to scream. This was my first quest. My first actual quest that I was in charge of. If I couldn't handle a bus ride how in all of Olympus could I take on the monsters that would undoubtedly attack us throughout our journey?

And so I clenched my jaw and suffered through the agony of tense muscles, hot skin, and torturous thinking about ex-girlfriends.

* * *

"Maybe we should start putting together a plan of action? You know, so we have an idea of what to do when we get to the temple? I'd say we're only about an hour or two away from the closest town," Tristan said.

I let out a groan as the bus rattled, sending painful tremors up and down my back and legs. My butt had gone numb about an hour ago. Percy, who had chosen to sit between Tristan and I for reasons unmentioned, didn't raise his head up from its reclined position on the back of our seat. I craned my neck to see if he was awake. His beautiful blue eyes stared up at the bus ceiling, somewhat dulled from their usual alertness.

Tristan looked weary himself. His body was slumped forward, head resting on his arms folded over the top of the seat in front of us and head turned to face Percy and me.

I could only imagine I looked as good. These bus rides had taken their toll on all of us.

Demigods, as by nature, preferred to move around. This is, of course, excluding children of Hypnos.

At this thought, I found my mind breaking off from the conversation at hand and exploring the subject of demigods.

Most of us were diagnosed with ADHD. I knew Tristan had been. Percy and I were as well. In my case and, from what I gather from Percy's stories, his as well, medication just didn't seem to work. And demigods also tended to have dyslexia. This was where I differed.

Never have I ever even been considered for having dyslexia. I was a word wizard! I read like a beast, wrote like a maniac, and spelled with the simplest of ease. Ancient Greek came easily to me and I was even taking extra lessons in Latin.

It was interesting that demigods were only children of the Greek gods. The Romans also worshipped the Greek deities. Sure, their names were changed and their personalities differed, but did that have anything to do with demigod children? Would there be such a thing as a Roman demigod or is their absolutely no difference between a child of Zeus and a child of Jupiter? Would it matter? Couldn't a demigod just say they were a child of whichever name they preferred?

"Chris?"

And for that matter, were there demigod children of, say, the Egyptian gods?

"Chris?"

That wouldn't make sense, though. Or would it? I couldn't remember if I had ever read about an Egyptian demigod.

"Chris?"

That was certainly interesting. I would have to look into this when I got back. It was so very intriguing. Oh, the suspense is unbearable!

"CHRIS!"

My heart jumped and my body mimicked it. My head shot to my right and I looked at my two companions with wide eyes.

"What? What did I miss?" I asked, my voice a little louder than I had intended. Three old ladies a few seats ahead of us looked over their shoulders. At the exact same time. Eerie.

The bus had stopped at the station and everyone was standing up, stretching out and filing off the vehicle. We stayed in our seats, waiting for the crowd to die down.

"A plan. Do you have one?" Percy asked. He had switched positions and was now hunched over, elbows on his knees and forehead on his interlocking fingers. His hair fell over his face, so I couldn't tell by his expression if he really was irritated with me or if I had just imagined hearing it in his tone.

"Oh. Well, actually, I do. Sort of."

"Sort of?" Tristan echoed. I nodded and mirrored his pose.

"I was thinking that Nyx would probably be there to greet us. You know, officially extend the quest and all. But, then again, I'm not sure. I have a feeling that we won't be in any real danger at the Southern Night Temple. I mean, Nyx needs us. I can't imagine her hurting us," I said.

"It's not a question of whether or not Nyx will hurt us. It's a question of whether or not there will be monsters trying to intercept us," Percy grumbled. He must've been in a bad mood.

"Well, if that happens we'll just fight our way through," I answered. Percy laughed, but it wasn't a genuine laugh. It sounded hollow and mocking.

"Easy for you to say. You've never been in a real fight," he scoffed. I glanced over at Tristan and saw him shift in his seat nervously. I suppose he could sense a spat.

"True enough. I guess I could just huddle behind you the entire time. You've got the Mark of Achilles, so you'll be like my own human-shaped shield," I snapped back. Again, Percy laughed I felt my forehead furrow in confusion. I glanced over at Tristan again. He shrugged his shoulders.

"With you leading this quest I'm almost certain we'll fail. Maybe you'll even manage to get us all killed in the process. You haven't got a single thing planned," Percy said. I felt my control slipping.

"Gods, Percy, it's not like this quest is a lost case. What's your problem? Have a little faith in me," I said. The bus was empty now save for the bus driver. He didn't seem too concerned with getting us off his bus.

"Actually it is a lost case," Percy said. By this time Tristan had stood up and was turned to face Percy completely. I, myself, was trapped against this window, but I managed to wriggle my arm out from between mine and Percy's bodies and grab his shoulder.

"What the hell's wrong with you? Why are you acting like such a jerk?" I shouted. Despite my persistent shaking, Percy still didn't rise from his hunched posture.

And then I heard it. The voice started out low, but got louder the closer the speaker came.

"Chris! Tristan! Hey, guys, come on! I'm dying for a bed right about now!" Percy climbed up the steps of the bus, a smile on his face despite the weary look in his eyes. I stared at him and I just new my face mirrored the expression of horror that spread across his as he saw his twin sitting next to me.

I turned from the Percy who had just gotten on the bus and stared at the stooped figure of the person I thought to be my boyfriend beside me. I slowly removed my hand from his shoulder and heard the singing of Tristan's blade as he drew it.

My heart began to speed up and I starting tasting sour in my mouth. I tried to press myself closer to the window and further from whomever it was sitting beside me. When had he replaced Percy? How did we not notice?

"Who are you?" I asked the doppelganger beside me with a trembling voice. The Percy look-alike started to laugh so hard his shoulders shook. One hand shot out and grabbed my wrist so tightly I visible winced. The real Percy immediately drew his blade.

And then, slowly, my fake boyfriend turned his face towards me.

* * *

Now I knew why he had kept his head down.

He had the same build as Percy and even wore the same clothes, but that was where the resemblance stopped. His skin, I noticed, was much paler than Percy's, but under the dreary lighting of the bus I hadn't noticed. His facial features, though, were completely wrong.

He was all sharp angles and defined bone structures. His jaw was square, his cheekbones high and sharp. His nose was smaller than Percy's and perfectly centered. His lips were full and dark pink, his teeth perfectly straight and blindingly white. The eyes of the imposter were a bright emerald green, sparkling with diabolical intent and framed with thick lashes.

Right before my eyes his hair started to curl and lighten to a honey color.

I heard a startled cry sound from the front of the bus and managed to tear my eyes away from the beautiful stranger beside me long enough to see the bus driver transform into an odd, translucent creature before disappearing like vapor into the wind. Percy had frightened whatever it was away with Riptide and was now advancing towards me, Tristan, and the stranger.

I felt the press of kiss on my cheek and shrieked, jerking my head away and struggling against the hold of the stranger.

"Come now, Chryseis. Is that any way to treat your father?"

* * *

Time itself seemed to stop. Percy stopped walking, Tristan's jaw dropped, and I myself seemed to freeze in place. This guy had just called himself my father. No way in hell was this guys my father. I broke the silence.

"You are not my father you sick son of a bitch," I hissed, narrowing my eyes in an attempt to intimidate the newcomer. He merely laughed and began playing with one of the many small braids woven throughout my hair.

"Oh, but I am. Your mother is my wife, therefore you are my child. That's how the world works, is it not?" he said. I used my free hand to slap his away from my hair. The figurative light blub went on in my head.

"Infidelity's a bitch, isn't it, Cupid?"

* * *

No sooner had the words passed my lips, a resonating slap bounced off the walls of the bus followed by a stinging pain on the right side of my face.

Both Percy and Tristan shouted in outrage as I held my cheek. I could feel the burning feeling of tears welling up behind my eyes. First I couldn't handle a bus ride and now I couldn't take a slap.

"Learn some respect, daughter, or I will have to burn it into you."

I kept my face turned away, slightly humiliated that I had been slapped and ashamed that a tear had fallen. But, in my defense, a slap from a god is like a smack from a switch at 100 mph. I retained some of my broken pride by not crying out.

"Get away from her," I heard Percy say. I refused to look, but I didn't have to. I knew he had Riptide pointed directly at Cupid and if I knew anything about sons of Ares, Tristan was doing the same.

"Calm down, boys. I simply came to tell my sweet daughter that she need not concern herself with this quest. She's far too delicate to undertake such a perilous task. Wouldn't you agree, Percy Jackson? You are Chryseis's lover, are you not? You understand what I am saying."

I felt my anger burning deep in the pit of my stomach. I knew myself well enough that I could tell, with the right motivation, all I needed was a few more minutes of Cupid's taunting. Then I'd be ready to bite his head off.

"Step away from the girl, Lord Cupid," Tristan said. He was mighty brave to speak to a god that way. Ordering him to do something? I didn't think that would go over too well.

"I'm sorry, Tristan Jenkins. What was that you just said? Because I could have sworn you just told me what to do."

"You heard right, sir. I'm going to need you to leave Chris alone."

"Chris. Such a masculine name. Chryseis is much prettier. More feminine. Do you call my darling daughter by her true name, Percy Jackson? Is it not befitting of a lovely princess such as her?"

"Last chance, Cupid. Get your hands off her. She's not your daughter and you've no right to treat her as such," Percy commanded. He was doing a good job of ignoring Cupid's jibes. I, however, wasn't.

"I think I will be taking my daughter back to Olympus with me. Psyche does miss the girl terribly. We could be reunited as a family once again, living happily together."

Okay, that was it. I was tired of listening to this blowhard.

"Get your slimy hands off me, you glorified Valentine's Day hoax," I growled. The atmosphere was tense and Cupid's grip on my wrist tightened.

"Excuse me?" he asked. His voice, once as soft as butter, became rough. It was now or never.

"You heard me, Stupid Cupid. Hands off. I'm done playing around."

"Chryseis, sweetheart, one more comment like that and I'll be forced to teach you some manners."

"My real father is a good man. Not one who so easily bestows love just to watch it die for the sheer entertainment of it." I felt a painful pull on my wrist and I was suddenly pinned against the front windshield of the bus, far away from my companions.

I opened my eyes which had snapped shut against the pain and stared into the face of Cupid. His features, once lovely, were twisted into ugly imitations. His eyes themselves had turned into the nastiest shade of mud green I had ever seen. It appeared as if Cupid's appearance was as changing as Aphrodite's. His showed the different aspects of love itself, it seemed, and right now he was showing the ugly side of love. The very ugly side.

Cupid's forearm kept me pinned against the windshield by my throat, steadily cutting off my oxygen. My back and shoulder were aching terribly from the impact.

"Shut your mouth, little girl, or I'll gouge your pretty golden eyes out of their sockets!" Cupid hissed, his voice now like sandpaper. I kicked at him, but he showed no sign of even feeling my hits.

"Mom won't let you," I countered, digging my fingernails into the skin of his arm. Cupid laughed.

"Psyche would not dare stand in my way."

"You would risk losing her love just so that you could harm me?"

"Children are disposal. More can always be made."

"But she would hate you for killing me!"

"When you are immortal everything can be forgiven in time."

Suddenly I wasn't so confident. There was only one thing I could think of threatening him with next. Finally I pulled my last hope.

"Hurt me and you'll face the wrath of Lord Apollo."

Cupid fell silent. For a moment we had a staring match. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Suddenly the Cherub from Hell vanished. Without his strength holding me up and fell to the ground, gasping and rubbing at my throat. I was immediately flanked by Percy and Tristan, both grabbing my arms and hauling me up to my feet. They held me between them and we finally got off of that damned bus.

* * *

Tristan snored loudly in the next bed.

I was lying on my stomach, mostly because my back still hurt terribly from the tiff with Cupid. The hotel bed mattress was stiff and the pillow smelled like a cheap air freshener. I didn't mind, though.

I turned my head towards the bathroom when the door opened. Percy stepped out in a blue t-shirt and gray boxers, hair still wet from the shower. I watched him as he brushed his teeth and quickly hid my face behind my arms when he glanced over his shoulder. From that point I just listened, afraid that he might catch me staring.

I heard the faucet turn on and off again and listened as Percy stowed his toothbrush away in his backpack. His footsteps, quiet so as not to wake Tristan, came closer. I could smell his amazingly addictive scent as he leaned over and turned the lamp between the two beds off with a gentle 'click'.

His footsteps went around the bed and I could feel the covers being pulled back and the mattress dip as he slipped in beside me. Tristan had decided that since Percy and I were dating that we would be the ones that would share a bed. Neither of us could find a logical argument and I, personally, didn't mind.

"I know you're not asleep," Percy whispered. I smiled and turned my head to the other side, facing him. He was on his side facing me. His pillowcase was darkening in color due to his hair.

"Hard to sleep when you've got a million things running through your head, don't you think?" I asked. Percy returned my smile and nodded.

"I suppose so. Although Tristan doesn't seem to have a problem." At that moment Tristan let out a huge snore. I pressed my mouth into my arm to muffle my laughter. I felt Percy's legs brush against mine and blushed when goose bumps appeared on my arms.

The two of us fell into silence, though my cheeks grew steadily darker as time passed. I was doing everything I could not to look over at Percy because I could feel him staring at me. Finally he nudged my leg with his foot and I decided it was just too tempting to stare at him. I glanced up from the leaf pattern of the bed sheets and made eye contact.

His eyes were such a beautiful blue. It was almost unreal how blue they were. Not to mention they seemed to have the uncanny ability to look into your soul. And he was my boyfriend. I could look at his eyes all day and no one could say a word because he was my boyfriend. I couldn't stop the giggle and smile that followed that thought.

"What?" Percy asked, a smile on his own face. I shook my head.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"Well, I think it's time we get some sleep. What do you think?" he asked. I felt so happy. So happy that he wasn't the person who had said all those awful things on the bus. So happy that he was the same adorable Percy he had always been.

"Sounds good to me," I whispered in agreement. I was just about to snuggle deep into the huge duvet when Percy nudged me with his foot once again. I looked up at him with a questioning expression on my face.

"Don't I get a goodnight kiss?"

I bit my lip and tried to settle the butterflies in my stomach by pure will. It wasn't working.

"Of course," I replied. Percy smiled and leaned forward. He lifted his hand and ran the backs of his fingers down the side of my face. Luckily it was the side that Cupid hadn't gotten to. The one he had slapped was still an angry pink color.

Percy drew closer and, when our noses brushed, he closed the distance. My eyes fluttered closed immediately. This kiss was a sweet one, innocent and gentle. When he pulled away he placed another soft kiss on my cheek and ran his fingers through my hair.

"Goodnight, Chris."

"Goodnight, Percy."


	15. In Which the Tale of Adrastos is Remembe

Chapter Fifteen: In Which the Tale of Adrastos is Remembered

AN: Basically just a filler and background chapter to present an obstacle Psyche and Chryseis might have to overcome in their relationship. Also a little backstory on Apollo's history with Psyche and a possible reason for his apparent interest in Chris.

* * *

To Psyche, her children were precious.

She loved each and every one of them.

But when she gave birth to her beautiful Chryseis, she found herself trapped in a terrible lie.

Chryseis was one half of a whole. A twin.

Thinking about it now, Psyche could feel the pain of loss deep in her heart. She could remember the grief that hovered over her like a storm, pouring like rain.

His name had been Adrastos and he was Chryseis' younger twin brother.

* * *

A minor goddess took the bundle that was Chryseis away from Hera and Psyche watched as her daughter was prepared for her journey to Earth. Of course, her happiness didn't last long.

The pain of labor struck her again and Psyche was reminded of the other child still inside. Hera laid a hand on Psyche's swollen belly and instantly a soothing warmth spread throughout the young goddess' body.

Such a gift of relief made labor such a simple task. It made Psyche all too aware of the luckiness she had because of her standing as a goddess. Mortal women were not granted such a reprise. To them, labor was a long and painful journey. But, surely, when the child was born it was worth it?

Psyche could barely feel Hera pulling Chryseis' twin from her body and, when the child was bundled in a twinkling gold blanket identical to its sister's, it was placed in her arms.

"A son, Psyche. You have a son," Hera told her. Psyche smiled and tapped the tip of her finger gently against her son's nose. She had known what his name would be long before she had even considered having a demigod child. Apollo had been the one to name all of their godly children, and Psyche had kept this name in her mind, waiting for the moment to bestow it.

"Open your eyes, my dear Adrastos. Let mother see what kind of man you will become."

She had high hopes for him. His sister was golden, perhaps he would be as well? They were, after all, twins.

Adrastos wrinkled his nose and turned his head into the cloth that surrounded him, whining quietly. His tiny arms stretched out toward Psyche, who placed a finger against his palm. Adrastos' fingers closed immediately and, finally, his eyes opened.

* * *

"Psyche, what is it? What's wrong, child?" Hera questioned. Psyche's eyes had turned a violent shade of burnt orange and the goddess wasn't moving a muscle. She simply stared down at her newborn, her face expressionless.

Finally, Psyche spoke.

"Please ask Hermes to take Chryseis to her father right away. And send for Apollo, as well. Tell him it is of dire importance," she commanded. Hera's assistants looked to her for confirmation. She nodded, immediately understanding. She placed a hand on Psyche's arm.

"I am terribly sorry, Psyche," she whispered before disappearing from the room, leaving mother and son alone.

Psyche felt a tear fall down her cheek.

"Oh, Adrastos. You will never forgive me this, I know. But it is for the best. It is to protect your sister. Your father. Your people."

-bar-

Apollo had hurried to the maternity room as soon as Eileithyia approached him, bearing a summons from Psyche. She had said it was terribly important, and so Apollo went, leaving the sun the remain over Europe a little while longer.

The god opened the doors to the ward and immediately set his eyes upon the pacing goddess in the center. She was holding a golden bundle in her arms and Apollo knew that must have been her child.

"Did you name him after me?" he asked, entering the room and closing the doors behind him. Psyche turned to face him.

"He is doomed."

* * *

Apollo approached the new mother and held his arms out. Psyche placed the child in his arms and turned away. Moving the blanket down away from the baby's face, Apollo saw what must have disturbed Psyche.

"His eyes-" he began, but a muffled sob from the woman he was in love with forced his throat to close up and his voice to disappear. Psyche sniffed a few times before turning back around and taking her son from Apollo's arms.

"One black and one red. Rage and pain. How can my son be rage and pain? How?"

Apollo didn't know what to tell her. He had no cure for this. And he had no solution, either.

"My daughter was golden, Apollo. As gold as you! My dear Chryseis is destined for greatness but my son? My Adrastos? He is destined for nothing but rage and pain."

Apollo's attention had been caught at the mention of a daughter.

"He is a twin?" he questioned. Psyche nodded.

"His sister is already on her way to Paul."

Apollo began pacing as Psyche had done before. His mind was racing, burning through idea after idea. He kept coming back to one in particular.

"Psyche, why not allow the child to live with his sister?"

Psyche presented Apollo with a weary, defeated look.

"His soul is black and red, Apollo. Nothing can change that. Not even a golden one. Chryseis would die trying. Truthfully, she might even been killed by her brother. I cannot risk it," she replied.

Apollo knew what she wanted done. He knew it the moment she had told him what the eye colors meant. And he could tell that nothing he could say would change her mind. Her eyes were already a muddy blue, a color he had learned stood for despair. She was already mourning her son and he was not even dead.

"I will not kill him for you, Psyche," Apollo said. Psyche looked at him and, for a moment, he felt as if she were reading his soul.

"I am afraid that I must ask you to. I cannot kill my own son. And as cowardly as that makes me, I cannot force myself to care. Adrastos must die, but he cannot die by my hand. You are the only one I trust, Apollo. You are the only one I can rely on to make it as quick and painless for him as possible." Psyche closed the distance between them and raised a hand to Apollo's face. She allowed the backs of her fingers to brush along his jawline before leaning in and placing a light kiss upon his lips. He had barely felt it, but every nerve in his body hummed with pleasure. A kiss from Psyche was like being on the receiving end of one of Zeus' lightning bolts.

With a pained sigh and a slump of his shoulders, Apollo realized that he would do anything for Psyche, even though she would never love him as he loved her. Apollo quickly took the bundled child from Psyche's arms and turned away, heading for the doors. Right before his fingertips touched the door handles, Apollo stopped. He still had hope. Turning around, Apollo faced the woman he loved, but who would never love him in return.

"Your daughter. What did you name her? I've forgotten."

Psyche's eyes narrowed slightly and Apollo was certain that she was looking into his soul this time.

"Apollo, no. You will stay away from her," Psyche said. Apollo raised an eyebrow and nodded toward the bundle in his arms.

"You have just asked me to kill your newborn son for you, Psyche, and yet you deny me the name of the child you have chosen to live?" he said. Apollo knew that he was being far too harsh in his words. He could understand Psyche's decisions well enough.

Psyche must have known that he didn't truly mean what he had said. Not entirely, at least. She reached a hand up to wipe the dried tears from her cheeks before bowing to Apollo and turning away. Over her shoulder, she answered him.

"Her name is Chryseis. And if she has any sense at all, she'll know to stay away from your charming looks and sweet words."

Apollo turned once more and opened the doors in front of him, a smirk on his face. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it was wrong to think such lighthearted thoughts when the death of a child was fast approaching. But he was a god. Gods killed all the time and never blinked twice. Why should this time be any different?

He knew why.

Because the baby he was about to kill was Psyche's son.


	16. Important Author's Note!

Hello everyone! I've got some (possibly bad) news for you.

I'm going on an indefinite hiatus from this site.

Because I've been neglecting my stories for so long, I've come to a decision.

I've decided to put my stories up for adoption.

-The Wraith Tome

-The Gentle Soldier & The Feral Queen

I won't be finishing these stories any time soon, so I've decided to see if anyone would be interested in taking over.

If you have an interest in taking over one of these stories (TGS and TFQ are a two-for-one) please send me a message.

Thanks so much for reading and I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to stay on top of things.

-Jester


	17. Hiatus

Hello, everyone.

I regret to inform you that my stories have not been adopted and have thus been marked for an indefinite hiatus.

I myself will be taking a break from FFN to deal with personal issues. I have no estimation of when I will be back.

Thanks for reading and I hope you all keep these stories on your Alerts.

-Jesterf


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